


Gemini Saga Eclipse

by RoyalBlueRoses



Series: Raditz Saga [2]
Category: Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z
Genre: Action & Romance, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Awesome Bulma Briefs, Blood and Violence, Canon-Typical Violence, Disturbing Themes, Dragon Ball Z - Freeform, Eventual Smut, F/M, Falling In Love, Find Out Next Time on Dragon Ball Z, Flashbacks, Fluff, Funny, Humor, Ignores Dragon Ball Super, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Ki Use, Lemon, Movie: Bardock Father of Goku, Movie: Broly the Legendary Super Saiyan, Murder, Polyamorous Character, Pre-Android Saga, Romantic Fluff, Saiyan Culture, Saiyans, Science Fiction, Super Saiyan, Tails, Vegeta (Dragon Ball) vs Feelings, Vegeta Saga, Vegeta being Vegeta (Dragon Ball), Weirdness
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-12
Updated: 2021-04-16
Packaged: 2021-04-22 00:55:13
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 38
Words: 321,959
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22131307
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RoyalBlueRoses/pseuds/RoyalBlueRoses
Summary: In an Alternate Universe, Bulma accidentally sends out a distress call to Frieza's Headquarters using the space pod Goku arrived in. This in turn sends Raditz to earth with the mission to retrieve Kakarot, alive. But as fate would have it, Raditz survives and is rescued by the blue haired Launch. Meanwhile, Vegeta and Nappa arrive thinking that Raditz has died, and come to earth with the sole intent of destruction, but are distracted by the alluring, brave female wearing a traditional royal Saiyan garb. Vegeta swears his service in duty to the ptotection of this princess of earth. Nappa is taken captive by the mysterious Gemini Cult, and not only that but their greatest weapon. (O.C)Tien and Blonde Launch meanwhile, have some unresolved tensions, and decide to explore the realm of romance with one another, but in that they find that relationships are much more complex than they thought, as is their genealogy and the origin of the Gemini people, who are all but few, and looking for revenge on the Saiyans that purged their planet and nearly decimated their entire race.
Relationships: Bulma Briefs/Vegeta, Bulma Briefs/Yamcha, Chi-Chi/Son Goku (Dragon Ball), Launch/Raditz (Dragon Ball), Launch/Tenshinhan (Dragon Ball), Nappa (Dragon Ball)/Original Character(s), Yamcha (Dragon Ball)/Original Female Character(s)
Series: Raditz Saga [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2016508
Comments: 23
Kudos: 41





	1. Bonds of Blood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Raditz makes his arrival on Planet Earth, Goku comes back after being gone for 5 years

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Greetings, or welcome back to those who have already read this story, and are just now reading the prologue. :) I have at last begun the story the 'right' way, even though it's out of order. I feel like all prologues should be written in post, right? After all, we don't always know exactly how things are going to go, no matter how we plot out our ending. 
> 
> That is to say, don't be surprised when you read this story and it doesn't at all happen according to Canon storytelling. Let's begin, shall we?
> 
> Author's Note: I do not own Dragon Ball Z, nor any of its wonderful characters. It's all thanks to Akira Toriyama that we have been blessed by his gem of a story.
> 
> Without further ado, I give you my alternate twist on a tale that we all know and love.

** Prologue **

**4 years ago **

_ Why the hell am I even going to this god-forsaken planet again? _

Raditz grimaced, adjusting his bracer anxiously as he knelt on one knee. He was in the throne room, prostrated before Lord Frieza and his henchmen. Vegeta and Nappa were bowing in the same fashion on either side of him. Even with their titles, they still remained below everyone else in the room.

"Good evening, Your Grace. How may we serve you today?" Raditz intoned respectfully, showing his brow to them with a small bow; a traditional show of subservience in Saiyan tradition. There was no greeting back. 

"You may serve Lord Frieza by listening well and good to what he has to tell you, he will only tell you once. You three are assigned to go to whatever planet he requires your presence on, to whatever end whether or not it ails you. Correct?" 

"Understood, Elite Officer Zarbon." The three chanted in unison.

"Good, now perk up those ears and listen to me." Frieza announced, taking back the attention of the room. "As you know, you are to travel to Planet Lystraya. It is an unconquered treasure trove of _ Zynïthe-Caharadit¹ _ Truffles, or brown gold–rare delicacies that cost a fortune," The Galactic Emperor informed them, swirling the wine around in his crystal highball glass. The two muscle bound grunts beside him stood at either flank; trophies of his great influence.

"The savage Lupines inhabiting the planet do not _ listen _ to reason. They have no need for material gain, nor are they smart enough to understand how a trade mission would _ benefit _ them. These Lupines are imbeciles at best to foolishly _ choose _ to ignore my requests. They are an uncivilized, primitive society, they have no use, nor a monetary system for economic _ growth._ Herbivore **mongrels**." He paced as he said this, his long, segmented pink tail slithering across the floor before the saiyans. 

They looked between each other with baffled glances, Raditz nodding in confirmation. He knew for a fact the Lupines were vegetarians, and in effect, non-violent. Frieza continued his speech, licking his lips after taking another sip of wine. 

"Because they've chosen to be so stubborn, I am to assume I have _ no choice _ but to plunder their planet. The cost may come at the expense of many lives, but the rewards will be _ very _ desirable. It matters not how you accomplish this task; as long as the truffles go **untarnished**." He finished, and turned himself about to look out the window. Raditz's eyes widened, and he glanced to Nappa, who in turn looked at Vegeta and saw him gritting his teeth in frustration. 

"My Lord, when do you expect us back?" Vegeta asked, tampering down his rage as did the others. Each knew the danger they were dealing with, and saw it as a death sentence. Frieza hummed to himself, taking a long sip from his wine as Dodoria and Zarbon side stepped to block their view of the small tyrant. 

"Dodoria, would you be so kind?" He asked, and the pink skinned alien nodded, walking over towards the saiyans, then walking behind them as they still remained prone on the floor. His heavy boots thudded as he walked over their recumbent tails, each one flinching back as his heavy footfalls echoed throughout the circumference of the oblong ship. 

"The length of time is inconsequential. Knowing your penchant for tardiness, we have decided to give you all a sort of… _ survival test. _ You saiyan monkeys are quite resilient. I'm sure you're wondering how you'll match up to a planet of Lupines that transform at the full moon just like you?" Dodoria questioned; knowing that as saiyans, they instinctively hated to turn down a challenge, and they nodded slightly. 

Frieza tapped his black claw tips on the window, gazing down at the vast blackness of space below, before looking back at them his reflection, with a cloying voice that hissed. 

"Yes... though the truffles are precious; they grow even _ more _ valuable with time. Once their planet is eliminated from existence, what we'll have are rare artifacts from an extinct planet, and they shall be all mine. Return the Zynïthe-Caharadit Truffles unscathed, that's all I ask of you. A full scale purge. I want not one whimpering mongrel left, understood?" 

"Understood." Was their unanimous answer. 

* * *

The familiar landscape Raditz had seen as a child was now before him, the tall, grey mycelium trees, the black tar lake. He recalled it from when he was just a young pup, and there had been an attack staged on Castle Vegeta by the Lupines. He had been taken by Borgos and Shugesh to be safe on a neutral planet, which was **this** planet. The reason why they were there was something that he hadn't fully understood when he was just a little runt. 

_ Raditz curled up in the pod, wondering where he was being sent. Borgos and Shugesh said a neutral planet, but not _ ** _which_ ** _ one. He didn't know if Kakarot's pod would land near his, would he find him? What about his mother and father, were they still back there, fighting? All these questions would be answered very soon, as Raditz gasped, seeing a massive planet looming before him. _

_ Its marbled surface was made up of light green and milky grey, swirled with black. Raditz placed his hands on the ruby glass, his breath making condensation form. _

_ Soon, the pod landed at last, landing in a thick, white alien substance that sucked the pod slightly in, before slowly releasing it from it's soft interior. Raditz felt an overwhelming amount of stillness, as the pod hatch door opened with a hiss, and he felt the warm air blowing in, tickling at his skin as if to encourage him. _

_ He gripped the edges of the concave ship and pulled himself up, then stepped out carefully. As he did, he bounced slightly–to his surprise. Raditz walked across the soft, malleable ground, then looked back at the ship. He frowned, then resumed his path. He had to find Kakarot. He rubbed his nose, sniffling a bit from the large, bluish spores that floated slowly down from massive white trees, stretching up high into the cloudy green sky, with grey spiky leaves fluttering on the languid breeze. Planet Lystraya. ² _

There was a loud crunch of aching bones, and a deep groan coming from behind him that made Raditz startle from his reminiscing, seeing Nappa stretching out his back and neck after being cramped from sitting curled up in his tiny pod. Beside him, Vegeta stood observing his surroundings, arms crossed as he focused on the readings showing up in his red scouter lense. 

Raditz approached them, his hands on his hips. "Well, it hasn't really changed one bit. I was here as a brat… I can lead the way towards the Lupine's fortress." He said, gesturing which way he believed it to be from memory. Nappa nodded, and began walking towards that direction with him, but Vegeta stopped them. 

"There's much larger power readings in the lake over there. I say we should start there." He said, pointing at the surface of the black tar lake. Raditz laughed, muffling it with one hand. He knew there to be giant water krakens here, they were a challenge as a child, but as an adult he supposed they wouldn't be much of an effort for Vegeta. 

"Why don't you check over there? We'll head this way." Raditz responded, and Vegeta nodded in agreement, taking off. 

Nappa turned to him and grumbled, eyeing the woods before him with a clear dislike for what he knew was in them. 

"I suppose that means we start by clearing the dens." Raditz said bitterly, staring off into that direction. He faintly wondered if the lupine girl, Yuhi he had befriended as a child was still living there. If she was…he would have to kill her. 

Raditz recalled the first time he'd met Yuhi, his fist clenching as he thought of her. 

_ "What's your name? Mine's Yuhi." _

_ "My... my name is Raditz." He answered, sitting back farther as she padded towards him, and sniffed. _

_ "You smell familiar. But... you also smell like blood." She said curiously, and he stuttered to answer. _

_ "I-I just ate a whole den of rabbits. That's all." He said, lying. The Lupine grinned in a non-threatening way, and dug in the bank with her paw. _

_ "Truffles. This Planet has a wealth of nutritious fungus on it. Did the elders not teach you?" She said, and nudged the truffle towards him. _

_ "Um.. yes. I was just craving rabbit today. I like meat, don't you?" _

_ "Ew, no way. I'm like a vegetarian." She said, and licked her paw haughtily. Raditz got the mushroom down, grimacing. _

_ "But, yeah.. We do need meat for our diet, or else we wouldn't have these sharp fangs. My mom and pop are always trying to get me to eat it." _

_ "Well, come on, Raditz. The moon is out, we should go home to the den before it's too late." She said, and Raditz avoided looking up at it, knowing what happened when a saiyan looked at the moon. _

_ "Uhh.. Ok." He said, and followed her down the trail. ³ _

"...**Why** _here?_ Why on Lystraya, where the Lupines mean no harm to anyone?" Raditz growled aloud, and Nappa shrugged, flying up a bit to ascertain the population hidden within the trees. "Because they have something Frieza wants, and what he _wants_, he _gets_." He said lowly, covering the speaker of his scouter with one hand. 

"Yeah? Well, we'll be lucky to make it out of here alive." Raditz spat, then flew to join him, bitterly beginning his mission.

* * *

**4 Years Later**

The forests of Mount Paozu were lush with greenery, which shook from the powerful winds blowing leaves into the stark blue sky above the treetops. Rivers and streams burbled with activity, dragonflies landing on the surface, then buzzing away before being swallowed up by the freshwater fish thriving in the rolling depths. Chi-Chi hummed an energizing tune as she hiked with a walking stick to help her up the great hills and down the crooked paths of the forest. The wind blew back her raven locks and she held her straw hat to keep it from blowing away, shading her fair complexion from the bright sunlight as she walked in and out of the shade. The large rucksack she hauled on her back was meant for storing herbs in, the pronged pike she used as a walking stick to dig up roots, as well as emergency protection against predators.

Currently, she was on the hunt for such things, her sharp eyes scanning the landscape as she continued her journey. While she was out gathering herbs and wild roots to grind into seasoning and medicine, Goku was in charge of Gohan, and she trusted her husband to take care of him. For five years they had been wedded, and not once did she know Goku to tell a lie, as long as he knew the truth. Chi-Chi's eyes lit up, and she gasped, seeing a large patch of blackberry bushes. She hurried down the path happily, a small pouch ready to begin picking blackberries. _ Should I make muffins, or a pie maybe? I suppose it depends on how many I can pick… _ Chi-Chi pondered as she began to pick them, popping one in her mouth to sample the flavor. It was just the right amount of sweet, with a tart punch at the end. _ Perfect for muffins, _She concluded, and continued to pick her berries. 

Soon, the bag was beginning to swell, but she wasn't finished yet, she took out another bag, and began to fill it. Chi-Chi knew it was always a good idea to have a back up, for in the case Goku or Gohan snatched the berries up before she could cook them. She smiled and brushed aside the leaves, leaning in on one leg to reach back to grab a large blackberry, that was just so juicy and ripe she was sure it was about to fall off the vine. 

Just as Chi-Chi's fingers clasped around the berry, the ground beneath her gave, and became slippery. Chi-Chi gasped as the ground became concave, and large chunks of dirt and vines snaked through the earth in gaping openings that hadn't been there before. A giant crack ran down the center of the crater, where a white object was wedged in the center; too large to fall through. 

"No..." Chi-Chi uttered, shaking her head, then backpedaled, her eyes wide with fright as the entire section of berries fell away, and she tottered at the edge of the precipice. She began to turn to run away, then felt her ankle give, rolling the tendon with a shrill scream as she felt her feet leave solid ground, and she fell down the slope. Chi-Chi cried out for Goku as she dug her fingers into the soil, grabbing stray roots and grass, but the angle was much too steep, and the roots slipped out of her hands. 

_ "Heeelp! Gokuuuu!" _ Chi-Chi cried out in terror, wishing at that moment she was able to fly like he could. The sky wheeled overhead as she scrambled to keep her body from whirling around, her feet before her as she at last dropped, closing her eyes in preparation for the long fall down the ravine that was sure to be a rough landing, riddled with agonizing pain. She at last landed, the wind rushing out of her as Chi-Chi's back arched with multiple crunches, and she screamed out again in pain.

_ "Chi-Chi!" _ Goku cried, flying over the hill with Gohan riding on his back, worry written clearly on his face. He and Gohan had been on the other side of the mountain, fishing, when he heard Chi-Chi's cry pierce through his mind, and send a chill all through him. 

"I'm here, Chi-Chi, don't worry!" He said hurriedly, and quickly flew over her, picking her up gingerly from where she'd broken her fall on a large white ball, the herbs and wild parsnips filling her rucksack all crushed and broken now after cushioning her fall. 

Goku deposited her carefully on level ground, afraid to cause her any more harm. 

"How did this happen? I had a funny feeling you were in trouble, and came right away." Goku spoke softly with concern, removing the pack from her back so that he could assess her wounds.

"I was… walking down the path picking berries when, I slipped and fell.. but I landed on _ something _." Chi-Chi panted, Goku pulling the back of her shirt back down after seeing no blood or visible injury. 

Goku and she turned their heads to see what was blocking the sheer drop off, a large, white object was wedged in the ravine where the blackberry bushes had been concealing it, the sunlight falling, along with a shadow that made Chi-Chi sigh in relief. 

"That thing stopped me from falling farther down, thankfully." She responded, then sat up, rubbing her back with both hands, wincing. She'd be icing it later, that was for sure, but she had been worse for wear. 

Goku let Gohan off his back, and the little child ran to her, hugging her tightly, tears budding from his eyes. 

"Mommy, I was scared! You were hurt real bad?" He whimpered, but Chi-Chi shook her head. 

"I'm alright, sweetie. It's ok." She soothed, hugging him. Goku walked towards the edge of the crater, and mused with a thoughtful hum. His heart beat quicker for some odd reason as he examined the impact; resolving that it must have made a crash landing. 

"I'm going to get a better look at that thing." He said to her before stepping down, and Chi-Chi gasped. 

"Goku! Watch your step. It's slippery down there." She warned, and he nodded. As she was staring down from above it, she could now see the clear ring that was an indication that whatever that thing was, it had made a dent in the earth around it. 

"Mom, berries!" Gohan enthused, reaching up to grab the bunch hanging from her hand. Chi-Chi leaned down to pluck them off the vine for him, as Goku stared down ahead. 

"You two stay here. I'll go down and investigate this thing." He said sternly, then stepped down into the concave, looking around and seeing where the earth had weakened from the impact, making large gaps in the ground where dirt was pouring down. 

"Ah, ah, slow down! You'll ruin your dinner." Chi-Chi said gently as Gohan put a red berry juice stained hand back in the sack, then popped it in his mouth. She laughed, brushing his hair back from his brow, before peeking over her shoulder to see what Goku had found. 

He had decided the ground was too unsafe to walk on, and had floated over to where he was positioned now, hovering over the large, white object. He cleared away the remaining vines, and took a deep breath upon seeing the ship. Goku felt an odd cold chill go through him as he touched it, feeling the divots and scratches, his fingers grazing over the scars that had been filled in with moss and dirt over time. He brushed away a thick layer of dirt to reveal a crimson window, where as the sun filtered in, he could see the interior; untouched by the elements. 

_ Kakarot. _

A rustle of leaves whispered to him, and he glanced anxiously to the side. 

"Goku, what is it?" Chi-Chi called down to him, and he laughed nervously, scratching the back of his head. 

"Uh, I dunno. Some type of spaceship, maybe?" He guessed, shrugging. He truly didn't know why, but he had a bad feeling about the thing. 

"A _ spaceship?? _ Grab it! It could be worth something!" She said eagerly, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. Goku nodded, and looked back down at it, floating down a bit so that he could fit his arms around it. 

"Hey, would you look at that? There's a little number on it. Number 276." He said, then felt another cold chill going down his spine as he did. 

_ Number 276, come in. _The rustling leaves whispered to him once again, and he turned quickly, an ache beginning in his forehead. Goku placed a hand on his brow and winced, his old head injury acting up. He glanced down at the cracks of darkness that were seemingly beginning to grow larger by the minute, deep down in it, he swore he saw stars flickering at the deepest pit. Goku grew pensive as he pondered the possibility that the Darkness he had gone into as a child could possibly exist out here, in the real world. He'd never thought to ask Korin where he found it. Maybe it was just water down there, the sun hitting it just right. 

"Goku?!" Chi-Chi shouted, having already said his name ten times now. 

He snapped out of the trance he was in, and scooped up the ship as quickly as he could, pulling it away from the ground, snapping the vines that had grown to be entangled around it. He landed beside them on solid ground, then hefted Gohan and Chi-Chi up on his other arm that wasn't holding the ship, just as the ground behind him fell, the earth dropping into the deep sinkhole. 

Goku flew away from it just in time, looking back to see where the earth had opened up, and letting go of a deep breath. He turned to look at Chi-Chi, and kissed her brow where a small line was creased with worry on her forehead. 

"Don't worry, Chi. I know just what to do, wait til Bulma gets a look at this!"

* * *

Once green, and bright, Planet Lystraya now was a grey, and black planet looking out from space, as the crimson gaze staring down from far above observed. Camera monitors lined a wall above him in the bubble-like dome that was Frieza's favorite observation window to stand and look out at the galaxies from, whilst keeping tabs on his soldiers. At the moment, the cameras were filled with bloodshed, as all three of the Saiyans swarmed around a behemoth of a creature, much like their Oozaru form. 

Frieza smiled and sipped from his wine glass, his tail swaying along the floor contentedly. He was rather pleased with his Saiyan team; they had impressed him greatly with their strength and survival skills. They had indeed succeeded on their recovery mission as well, digging up a gold mine of Truffles from the blood soaked earth once they were done. As he observed them strategically taking down the gargantuan werewolf-like creature, he almost felt giddy with his excitement, knowing they would be returning to base soon. 

"Zarbon! Come in here immediately!" Frieza shouted over the scouter chatter, as the Saiyans reconvened over the body. 

_ "Is this the last one?" _

_ "Yeah. I'm not getting any other readings." _

"Coming momentarily, Sire!" He called back, hesitating to take off just yet from where he had been called for assistance to investigate a strange reading. Captain Raep explained to him the situation, zooming in on a green and blue planet. 

"We got a distress ping from this Planet… Planet Ee-arth? It's not worth much, the inhabitants here are just low level bipeds." 

"A distress ping? From what, a ship?" Zarbon murmured, leaning down to observe what the Captain was typing in on the console. 

"It's odd… Ship... 276? Gotta be an old model for sure by the number." 

"What's more important than my demands, Zarbon? What's that about a distress signal?" Frieza interrupted rudely, switching channels on his monitoring system to see what was in Zarbon's lense, at the same time he was still watching the saiyans. 

"It's, ah…" Zarbon began to explain, but Frieza's attention was caught by what he overheard Raditz saying to his monkey brethren. 

Nappa and Vegeta turned to him, Raditz had gained their attention now with what he had to say. 

"You know, we almost would have died here on this planet if it were not for the healing, and hunger staving capabilities of these Truffles." He gestured, a brown truffle in his hand as he brought it to his mouth and took a bite out of it, the others doing the same. 

"Yeah, we'd all be dead now not for them, no wonder they're worth such a fortune." Nappa nodded, tossing the entire truffle in his mouth. 

"It was a suicide mission, we may as well admit it. He was trying to_ kill _ us." Vegeta snarled, tossing his half eaten one to the ground. "How many days and nights were we reduced to hiding in the shadows in fright, we were greatly outnumbered. The three of us, even in our Oozaru forms, were barely enough against them." He spat angrily, tossing his scouter to the ground so that static came over his screen. 

"I don't doubt it, Your Majesty. If there was only more of us, then maybe we'd stand a chance against Frieza's army." Nappa supplied, Frieza observing from his ship with a smug smile. He was unphased by the saiyan's threats, knowing it was all just monkey jabber, and that he had done away with the saiyan race already. 

"Wait… Listen. I just remembered something…." Raditz began, his hands gripping his hair at the roots, blocking part of the camera just as Zarbon walked back in with the Captain.

"There _ are _ more of us. My younger brother, Kakarot. He was sent far away to a neutral planet in the North Galaxy. In one of the last messages I received from my mother, she told me how Bardock sent him away." 

"Do you think he's still _ alive?" _ Nappa shouted, storming closer to stare at Raditz. Vegeta shook his head, doubtful. 

"If he's still alive, wouldn't you think he would have destroyed it and come back by now?"

"You're right… It is certainly odd." Raditz said softly, and all three saiyans were silent a moment as they pondered this. 

"The planet he was stationed on is called Earth. It's not too far from here, less than a year's journey." Raditz supplied carefully, taking off his scouter as he talked, covering the microphone. The others blinked out as they all turned their scouters off to discuss it further, static going over the screens as an angered scream was heard. 

"They think they can fool me? Overtake me?! After all I have **done** for them?!" Frieza screeched angrily, tossing his wine glass, it shattering on the floor. 

"Wait, your Highness. Perhaps we could use this information to our _ advantage." _ Zarbon said slyly, picking up a fresh glass, and pouring wine for himself, Frieza, and the Captain. 

"If that ship, and the one his younger brother was sent in are the same…" Captain Raep began, curling his clawed green digits around the crystal stem. 

"Then… that means that Kakarot is calling for help, that he could perhaps be… _ alive." _ Zarbon gasped, Frieza taking his fresh glass and smiling into it as he drank. 

"Well, then. The saiyans aren't as clever as they thought. Tonight, when they return, we shall throw a grand welcoming back party for them. Pretend we know _ nothing _ of the sort about their conspiracy. We shall celebrate their great battle prowess, and nothing else. Then, by morning come, we will give Raditz, Nappa and Vegeta all their new orders. Raditz will be the one to go on the rescue mission, and recruit Kakarot into our troops." Frieza said in a low, curdling voice, his eyes matching the shimmering, blood like quality of the burgundy wine. He smiled, and the others did as well, before looking back down at the planet just as it exploded. 

"Well, that's the signal. Let's be sure to not let them know of our intentions. Tonight, we celebrate!" 

_ Annotations _

1: _ Caharadit _ is a play on _ Caharadas _ , a location in Middle Earth. J.R.R Tolkien is one of my writing idols. Reading _ The Hobbit _ when I was 11yrs old ignited my passion to read. 

2,3: Excerpts from _ A Runt Named Raditz_

* * *

**Chapter 1**

The massive, elliptical space shuttle spun slowly through the vacuum of space; its white, glossy paint reflecting the many colors of the nebula. Each golden porthole window was luminous with the radiance of the stars passing over its glass in fleeting streaks of light. The Imperial Army's home base for all of Lord Frieza's operations loomed before the long, cold darkness of space; a beacon of impending destruction before all of the Galaxies in the known Universe.

An alien female with slick, blue skin traced lazy circles on a broad chest covered in wiry black hairs with a long webbed finger, admiring the Saiyan hunk with her glowing yellow eyes. He had brought her to his chambers late last evening after the celebratory party Frieza had thrown for Raditz and his fellow Saiyans. They had purged her once beautiful planet in just a few minutes; and many others after four long years of nonstop war with the Lupines; a species much like the Saiyans themselves that had been deemed a threat to Frieza.

No peace negotiations could convince him to stay his hand. The three Saiyan warriors were valued merely for their strength and nothing else, thus remaining the lowest and most underrated amongst Frieza's ranks. The one known as Raditz, who was at times too daring for his own good, took her as his reward to flaunt his achievement before Frieza, and to royally piss off Prince Vegeta. Frieza, when feeling good-natured enjoyed a laugh at the monkey prince's expense, and allowed Raditz to board the frightened Saldonian girl, finding Vegeta's disgust at Raditz's taste in otherworldly females quite humorous.

_ "How pitiful, you would bed a creature with a genetic composition that is nearly identical to the worms beneath our feet!" _

Vegeta spat, grimacing in disgust, causing Frieza to cackle and entertain Raditz's new guest, calling for rounds of strong liquor for all of the nervous soldiers. They knew that a party thrown by Frieza normally consisted of making them fight; whether they wanted to or not; copious amounts of alcohol and whores for everyone–which normally harbored nasty diseases or were simply too disgusting to bear. But of course, some poor soul would be their source of entertainment—**If** they made it through the torture games.

Raditz had his fill of alcohol, and vehemently refused any of the females Frieza provided; leaving the party sated with a belly of liquor and mind full of lust; which sometimes was hard to discern from bloodlust. He slung his arm over the blue-skinned female and brought her back to his chambers for a long night of ecstasy with the strange Saiyan man.

Raditz stirred with a belch, rolling over to scratch his hairy, blue liquid covered abdomen, now dried. By throwing one heavy arm across the bed, he unknowingly threw the Saldonian slave girl onto the floor when he sat up to slug down the remainder of dark green liquor on the bedside stand, and munch on the carcass of a large rotisserie bird.

With a grunt, Raditz jumped out of bed, accidentally crushing the poor lizard-like female before she could even screech in protest. He simply shrugged, then wiped his feet across the carpet. He paused, hearing the telltale steps of a soldier at his door. Then, the buzz of the intercom.

"Just a moment, I'm not _ decent _ ," He smirked, intending to flash the poor soldier, although, on second thought, if it was who he _ thought _ it was...

Raditz frowned and grabbed a soiled sheet, holding it loosely over his privates as the door swung open. Zarbon flinched at the bloody mess on the floor, holding one pale green hand over his nose to cover the stench of rutting, body odor, and the gas released from her body when she was unfortunately squashed. 

He gave a rather feminine cough, diverting his eyes from the mess on the floor and at Raditz, who smugly sneered. "Erm...Good morning, Lieutenant Raditz. I see you've enjoyed your spoils...Lord Frieza has given orders for you to fly to Earth at once to find your younger brother, Kakarot. We received a distress signal last night from Earth. He has been deemed either dead, or has failed his original mission. Locate his shuttle and track him down, at once. We expect your prompt report back, and his return, alive. "

Raditz gave a curt nod, and responded,

"Understood, Elite Officer Zarbon."

He turned to walk into the shower, tucking his tail just slightly between his legs to shield himself from the wandering eyes of his guest. Zarbon chuckled, his eyes not shying away to travel down past his unruly mane of umber-black hair and glance at his steel-hard glutes with a flick of his reptilian tongue on his lips before rolling his eyes.

"Also, your monkey brethren will not accompany you on this mission. They have already been sent to the North Galaxy to purge Planet Arlia. It's time we split up your little pack and you learned to fend for yourself. After all, you can't trail behind your Prince of All Nothing's coat skirts forever. Ta..ta~" He teased, with a wink, promptly turning about and allowing the door to slam closed behind him. 

Raditz snarled, lashing around and pulling down the blinds and crumbling them in his hands, allowing the darkness of space to seep in through the window. _ How did they know about Kakarot…? They must have been listening in on our scouter channels! _ He thought, agitated, then smirked to himself. Frieza was playing right into their hands, then. It hadn't been planned for him to overhear, but now instead of sneaking off to retrieve his brother, he was being _ sent _ there on purpose. It was all almost _ too _ perfect.

Then, the thought came to him about how Kakarot would react upon seeing him. Would he be…_ glad _ to see him, or… would he not even remember him? 

_ I don't need him. _

Raditz thought as he stared out the porthole window with a far-away gaze.

_ I don't need _ ** _anyone_**_. _

He stormed away from the sight to swing open the bathroom door and step into the large shower, switching on the hot water and allowing it to slick his masses of spiked hair down flat to his sinewy back. Raditz shook his head, droplets of water spraying onto the shower tiles as he turned and the shower switched on its soap jets; which automatically began spraying his hair with disinfecting foam and scrubbing it with small robotic hands as he rid himself of the salamander female's offensive scent.

Raditz wasn't picky about females, he liked all species, they all were good to him. _ Especially _ if it rubbed Vegeta in the wrong way. Although, he found himself unsatisfied with the resulting intercourse; normally slaying them immediately afterward to prevent unwanted pregnancy, or being too drunk to care, they inevitably died from internal bleeding anyways, due to their vast differences in anatomy. It was hard to find a woman in space that could properly... _ take _ a saiyan's anatomy and survive, with so many different alien races and unique ways of breeding that simply did not match his. So, Raditz made do, as cruel as it seemed, it was just what he had become accustomed to, ridding himself of his urges to mate in the quickest way possible. 

He washed his broad chest, staring blankly at the ceiling. He hadn't thought of his younger sibling Kakarot in ages, nor cared to, only remembering the small whining brat in brief before being sent far away to the North Galaxy, where when he landed, he immediately slaughtered the inhabitants of the pathetic planet in a violent spell of rage at the young age of seven.

He had ensured his survival in the only way he knew how; eating whatever prey in his way, whether humanoid or not, moving onto the next planet and to the next; conquering the outskirts of North Galaxy until he was in his 10th year, and his presence could no longer be ignored by Frieza's army.

His reign of destruction did not end when he met his Senior Officer Nappa; former General of the Saiyan army; who came and took him on his first official mission for Frieza, regrettably having to pass on the falsity that their planet had been destroyed by a meteor. Raditz had just nearly missed Bardock's sacrificial death, and Frieza's subsequent destruction of Planet Vegeta.

Nappa taught him much about Saiyan culture, and shared his vast experiences of purging and war with him and his younger partner, Prince Vegeta. Young Raditz was eager to be enlisted in the Lizard King's Empire, for the most part, he appeased him as much as possible, but could never truly have the rare freedom from Frieza's undiscerning tail lashing him; because of the sole reason that he was a Saiyan, and no matter what, the truth was that they were no more than slaves working to no end for a lord that would just as quickly dispose of them.

As Frieza liked to say, _ 'In the end, you're all just monkey trash, no better than the filthy apes you descended from.' _

He was a proud soldier, nevertheless; until this very day, whereas he reflected; he remembered his home for the first time in over 25 years. His planet, his fond memories of his time there; the faint images of his mother Gine and his father Bardock were fleeting–hardly much to tell, as he seldom saw his father, having a strained relationship with him, and his mother commonly left him to the care of other Saiyan females.

There were very few precious times when he did remember them being altogether, as a _ family _ ... Raditz shut off the soaping mechanisms and twisted one of the mechanical hands backward until it snapped off, and turned on the cold water. He had no home. No family. Not that he cared. He snorted, pushing the pathetic thoughts back down deep, to the dark recesses of his mind, as the soap swirled down the drain and the icy water awoke his senses and numbed all those unnecessary feelings. He didn't need Vegeta, Nappa, or Kakarot. He only lived to kill, to see the next day and not care what, or who he left behind in his wake. _ There is no future left for the Saiyans, so why would I bother?_

* * *

The misty waterfall stirred with a strong gust of wind, the meditative state that the Namekian man was in only slightly interrupted as he levitated down to the ground, looking up to the sky from his high mountainside peak and narrowing his eyes, closing them and sensing what he could from the universe.

_ Something is coming. _

Piccolo snapped his eyes open, jerking his chin toward the beam of light streaking across the sky, and grinned.

_ Hmm, this could be an interesting challenge…_

* * *

Kame house was in a state of utter disarray as a blue-haired girl scrambled to stir the vegetables frying on the stove, shake the pan of steaks sizzling, and spoon out great masses of white rice into towering bowls. Rice dappled her cheeks and pink fluffy apron that helped partially cover her black unitard, as Master Roshi had informed her; she must always wear her bunny ears and Playboy bunny costume while cooking, and her French maid costume for cleaning. Launch sighed, wiping the perspiration from her brow, then dished out many portions for all the hungry fighters, adding an extra scoop to one with a faint flush of pink on her cheeks.

"Wow, Launch, I sure hope that _ tastes _ as good as it _ smells!" _ The short, bald one; Krillin announced innocently as he took his seat. Tien, Chaiotzu, and Yamcha all piled in, after a long day of training.

_ They trampled in here, without even wiping their boots! _ Launch quietly steamed to herself, putting on her demure expression as she set the many plates and bowls in front of the hungry warriors.

Master Roshi strolled in after a loud flush in the bathroom, sighing in satisfaction. He had a red flushed face and a slightly bloody nose, not even pausing to wash his most likely _ very _ filthy paws before ogling her backside and pinching the small fluffy tail. Launch shuddered, feeling a jolt of sheer disgust shoot up her back.

"What's cookin' good lookin!" He cackled, as he walked over to the stove to pluck a steak directly out of the pan. He then danced in pain as the hot meat burned his dirty fingers.

_ "Ouchiieeee ya ya!" _ Roshi screamed, dropping the steak on the floor and sucking on his throbbing red thumb.

_ Men are such stupid pigs! Oh, what am I thinking? _ Launch shook her head, just in time for Oolong, Puar and Turtle to come in, and felt her ears burning as they left triple sets of muddy animal footprints as they came to all sit at the table. She dished out more food until all but one measly bowl of rice was left for herself. Launch took her seat at the end of the table with a sigh, glad to finally rest her aching feet.

She stared blankly as rice went flying everywhere and pieces of steak and vegetables flew from their open mouths as they talked and laughed without even chewing. Launch plastered on a small shy smile and looked over to Tien, who was shoveling food in his mouth at an inhuman rate, allowing Chiaotzu to take a portion of his rice as they all chattered enthusiastically. She sighed, placing her chin dreamily in her hands as she watched the three-eyed, mysterious man, hoping perhaps he would compliment her cooking, or glance her way even for a second with one of those dazzling eyes of his.

"Hi guys! Room for a few more?"

"Goku!?" Everyone clamored, this was the first they had seen of him in 5 years, and he had a 4-year-old son with him at that.

_ Oh no, not Goku _. She hadn't forgotten about his voracious appetite. Launch squirmed, quickly scooping as much rice in her mouth as she could before the big oaf ate everything, including the table.

"Hi everyone, I'm glad to see you! This is my son, Gohan!"

Everyone chattered excitedly for a while, some of the questions centered on where Goku's first travel companion, Bulma was and what she was up to. Bulma said she had to finish working on an important project of hers, and would catch up later if she could.

Tien smiled at his old friend and handed him his second bowl of food.

"Here Goku, you can have mine. My stomach doesn't feel so good." He said, then groaned as his stomach burbled and the others followed suit, pushing away their food and holding their rumbling bellies. Goku plucked the bowl of rice from his hand and started devouring it.

"Don't tell Chi-Chi, but I just love your cooking, Launch! Beats me why it gives all these guys a bellyache, I feel fine!" He brightly enthused, patting young Gohan on his bright, Dragon Ball bejeweled cap. "Here, take mine, Goku. I can't have another bite. I'd rather eat _ Bulma's _ cooking." Yamcha sneered, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

"Yeah! Let's go see what Mrs. Briefs made for lunch!" Krillin said, handing little Gohan his bowl kindly then standing up and running out the door with Yamcha in tow._ That's just fine, less trouble for me. _ Launch thought innocently.

"Oh man, Make way I gotta use it!" Oolong squealed and Puar hissed, fighting for the path to the bathroom, poofing in clouds and transforming then rolling in a ball of flying fists and knocking over the lampshade, shattering the lightbulb as they wrestled.

Launch let out an unladylike growl, then caught herself and put her hand over her red lips and giggled. _ I'll take care of it later. Besides, now's my chance! _

She stood nervously and walked over to where Tien was sitting and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Oh, yeah what did you need, Launch?" He grunted, only looking at her a second and returning to rub his hard, sculpted abdomen to try and relieve the cramps. She giggled.

"I-I was just wondering if you'd like a cup of ginger tea, to soothe your stomach?" She said, trembling a little at the close proximity. Tien looked at her, then to Chiaotzu, who was on the floor moaning, and quickly crouched down to check on his strange little friend.

"That sounds good. Actually, can you make some for Chiaotzu too? I'm really worried about him." He said, not looking away from the even paler faced boy.

"Sure, Tien. I would love to!" Launch smiled and strolled back to the stove, heating up a kettle of water, inwardly jumping up and down at the tiny glance she earned from the handsome man. She blushed, pouring the water with a shaky hand into two cups for the boys.

"Say, Launch, maybe you could visit my wife Chi-Chi some time and take some cooking lessons from her. She's a great cook! Maybe we should go there for dinner!" Goku suggested, earning agreeing nods from the turtle and Roshi.

"That's a _ wonderful _ idea!" Launch said, setting down the teacups. She smiled and closed her eyes happily as they sipped the tea.

"Ouch! Too hot!" Tien shouted, spitting out his tea, then snatched the cup from Chiaotzu. "I don't want you to burn your mouth, Chiaoutzu, better skip it!" He said, patting his round head.

Launch gasped, then glared at the creepy boy, gritting her teeth as she secretly imagined popping off his little bobblehead.

_ Oh, goodness me! _ She shook her head clear of the naughty thoughts and gathered up the empty bowls, walking away to start doing dishes.

_ Another meal failed. _ She sighed, _ If only Tien had a stomach like Goku. _ Launch thought as started running the hot, bubbly water for the dishes, then sniffled when a tiny bubble tickled her nose.

"Oops! Not again!" She said, then let out a dainty sneeze.

"Crap! _ Everybody run!" _ Oolong shouted, running away with toilet paper still trailing from his dirty hoof as they all scrambled to get away besides Goku, who sat at the table helping himself to everyone else's abandoned food.

Launch felt herself switch, startled out of her ditzy demeanor, her hair turning blonde, and eyes turning green as she looked down at her bunny costume.

"I'll get you, _pervert!"_ She screamed, ripping off the pink apron, then running to grab her gun from the cookie jar where she had stashed it. Launch wildly sprayed bullets all over the kitchen, screaming obscenities as Goku deftly avoided them; catching the stray bullets in between his chopsticks, then returned to eating contentedly.

She snarled and barreled out the door in a huff, going after Roshi and shooting at all of them in her rage, until all that was left moving was their legs, pathetically twitching, half their bodies buried half into the sand. 

"Teaches you, ya jerks!" Launch laughed, then slung the automatic over her shoulder. She looked down angrily once again at her demeaning outfit, her tiny bowtie collar, chest popping obscenely out of the black one-piece that rode dangerously high on her hips, blue stockings and kitten heels with bunny tail puffs above the peep-toe.

_ I should go in and change... _She thought, but not before hearing something rippling through the atmosphere at a high-speed velocity. She reloaded her rifle and grinned, ready to take on any challenge.

**"Approximately 5 minutes to arrive on Planet Earth. Beginning animation sequence in 10, 9, 8…"**

Raditz's eyes fluttered beneath his lids, sleeping fitfully after his 10-month journey from Frieza's ship. In that time, he was only able to dream in suspended animation, to allow himself to fantasize about whatever he wanted without fear of anyone knowing.

"_ You _ ** _found_ ** _ a female Saiyan?" Prince Vegeta asked incredulously, flabbergasted as Raditz looked down to the lovely dark-haired female, with large, deep eyes and long eyelashes. _

_ "Yes and I've already claimed her, she's mated to me." He said snidely, obnoxiously groping her breast. He felt amused at his Prince's astonishment, watching him go into a rage, with blood vessels popping in his eyes. _

_ "I should _ ** _ kill_ ** _ you for your insolence! You're nothing but third-class scum, you had _ ** _no right_ ** _ to claim the only viable Saiyan female able to produce my heir!" He screamed, shaking his fist. _

_ "Don't worry, there's plenty of human females here to go around. They should be good enough to match _ ** _your_ ** _ strength." He chuckled, turning away and stroking his mates behind. Vegeta stood steaming, ready to kill him... _

**"7, 6, 5, 4…"** The sound of the ship's countdown made him stir, chuckling in his sleep. **"3, 2, 1, 0... Approaching Planet Earth. Reanimation in progress."**

The stasis gas in the ship began to drain, the porthole releasing it with a hiss. The sphere-shaped ship rocketed through the sky, roaring through the sky in a thunderous peal. Launch clutched her rifle closer as Goku popped his head out the door, scratching his spiky head of erratic hair in confusion.

**"Now landing on Planet Earth's surface."** The automated female voice announced, **"Analyzing planet's composition: Oxygen Rich. 71% Water. 29% Land. Inhabitants: Humanoid. Approximately 6.0 million. Gravity Density: 9.8"**

Raditz felt the impact which jarred him awake, his scouter lit up and began beeping as he gasped for breath. He lifted the hatch, steam billowed out and dissipated as Raditz swung one heavy leg out from the tiny ship and pulled himself free; the luminous blue lights of the concave ship lighting his sharp-angled silhouette as he straightened his body to his full height of nearly seven feet, cracking his back and neck. He let out a satisfied grunt then opened his eyes to see a cluster of frightened Earthlings before him.

His green scouter flashed, showing the varying power levels, which ranged at the lowest of 10 for some floating feline. But as he turned his head to look around, he saw a number in the distance that didn't seem to be from any of the weak inhabitants in front of him.

"Hm...battle power... 408?" Raditz narrowed his eyes.

"Come out, come out, Kakarot..." He teased, curling up his lip cruelly.

Piccolo snarled as he ducked behind the corner of the house, feeling the large alien's line of vision pass over him briefly.

_ I'm not joining that... _ ** _mob_ ** _ of earthlings as if I'm a part of them... _ He cringed inwardly.

"Which one of you puny Earthlings is the strongest?" He growled, scanning over the multiple cringing forms, his ebony eyes settling on an attractive blonde with large black bunny ears jutting out her head, with a weapon pointed directly at him. _ Blonde...? _

He awed, fascinated by the color only Super Saiyans of legend were said to have. She greeted his glare unflinchingly with a hard stare, smirking attractively.

"Come at me, bucko. I **dare** ya." His eyes sparked with the idea of a challenge, raking over her scantily clad form greedily. Raditz grinned, intending to saunter over to the female. A three-eyed man stepped in front of her, challenging him with his glare.

** _Three_ ** _ eyes!? Why do I feel as if I've seen such a thing before? _ Raditz was momentarily puzzled, trying to search his mind for the memory that was fuzzy as if he'd blacked it out completely.

_ No matter. Only a battle power of 389, nothing to worry about._

Then, a slightly shorter man than him stepped forward, scratching his head.

"Battle power of 416. That's an improvement at least. Sure doesn't have an intimidating air about him, though…" Raditz muttered, a finger rubbing his sculpted jaw thoughtfully. 

"Ya mean me?" He asked in a good-natured question, smiling ignorantly. "Hmm," Raditz mused, strolling forward to look over the man who fit the bill of a Saiyan for the most part, with black spiky hair much like Bardock's, and dark, solid onyx eyes.

"Hi, I'm Goku, pleased to meet you!" He chuckled, stepping forward with a hand outstretched. Raditz snarled, scenting the air around the hand in front of him, his masses of spiky hairs prickling when he found the scent was indeed, similar to his own.

"So, we finally meet. You've grown quite a bit...but, I still recognized you at first glance, Kakarot. You look just like our father." He smiled genuinely, looking down at Goku, with those hard ebony eyes glinting with pride.

"Our _f-ather?!"_ He responded, tilting his head.

Raditz's kind expression cracked. Outraged by his brother's ignorance, he growled, storming forward and looking the deranged brain-damaged Saiyan in the eye.

"Kakarot. Let me refresh your memory, you were sent here as a child in order to **destroy** this pathetic planet and _ return home! _ Have you completely _ lost your fucking mind!?" _ He screamed, causing Goku to bristle; offended.

"First off, **my name** is Goku! Second, I would never destroy my home! I don't know who you are, or why you're here, but I suggest you watch the language in front of my son." He said, clutching the squirming half-breed tighter. Raditz could smell it, the tainted blood. He snorted out the offensive scent.

"Fool, you must be truly corrupted by these Earthlings, to breed with a weakling human woman and soil our bloodline! Have you lost sight of your pride as a Saiyan, the mightiest warriors in the Universe, Kakarot!?" Raditz shouted in disbelief, shaking his head in disgust. He then glared at the quivering child, baring his sharp canines and growling at him harshly. Gohan jumped back with a start, quivering.

"Hey! Don't talk bad about Chi-Chi! Who are _ you _ to say that about me! I don't know anything about these 'Saiyan' people, or the Universe, all I know is that I fight for Earth! This is my home you're talking about destroying and I won't **let** you!"

Raditz rubbed his face, agitated, and inhaled a deep shuddering breath as he exhaled, and tried his hardest not to blast all these fools to hell.

"Kakarot... is it possible you have taken a hard blow to the head, perhaps in battle, or shortly after you landed? That is the only feasible reason that you would spew this **mindless** drivel." He said, with an irritated sigh.

Goku perked up, remembering.

"Oh yeah! I **did** hit my head as a kid, I have a scar… but, what does that have to do with anything?!" He said, and rubbed the small mark on his forehead.

Raditz narrowed his eyes as a pitiful looking old man came forward, leaning on a wooden cane.

"..Goku, Long ago, your grandfather, Son Gohan, told me something. One day, deep in a valley, he found something unusual, like it had fallen from the sky. When he got closer and looked at it, there was a round capsule, and inside it was a baby that had a tail.

He took him home, and tried to raise him but he had a violent disposition, and never took to him, and he was utterly at his wit's end over what to do with him.

But then, one day, the boy fell into a ravine by accident, and hit his head hard, nearly dying! However, having an unbelievable life force, the baby apparently survived. What's more, afterward, his violent nature disappeared, and he became a good little boy." He nodded, finishing his tale.

"That was me?" Goku looked on at Roshi, a small amount perplexed, eyes widened with realization.

"Yup, it sure was, my boy."

He jumped when he heard a rough cough of laughter emanating from the man towering over him, with his large arms crossed. Raditz looked down at him and shook his head shamefully.

"... You're being one _ difficult _ bastard, forgetting everything like this! Fine. I'll remind you, then... Kakarot, you were sent here to _ exterminate _ the bothersome humans that live on this planet!" Raditz said, lowering his face to Goku's, his hands on his hips. He sneered at his reaction, almost in sheer amusement; his tail twitching.

"I was ** _what!?" _ **Goku shouted back incredulously.

Raditz responded with a deep rumbling sigh and closed his eyes as he spoke.

"We Saiyans are a renowned warrior race... Our task is to go through space, searching for planets with plentiful environments, and once we've exterminated all its inhabitants, we sell them for a lofty price to aliens who are looking for a suitable planet. Adult warriors embark directly upon planets where those with a higher battle power live. But to planets like this one, which have a lower level, we send babies like you..." He said with a teasing sneer.

"I- if that's the truth, then you guys are awful! That's crazy! You even make _ Piccolo _ look lovable! How can you send babies off on their own!?" Goku shouted in shock, causing Piccolo to clutch the pink siding of the house with his claws and growl with disgust.

"Kakarot, given several years, you should have had plenty of time to purge these nuisances all by yourself! If only you had _ remembered _ your orders, that is."

He responded, and strolled forward to snatch Gohan from his arms. He dangled him from his tail, causing him to wail.

"Hey, that's not nice!" Goku said, stepping forward, ready to attack.

"This here is all the proof you need. A Saiyan's tail is his identity! His very livelihood, his link to his primal self. Where is your tail, Kakarot?!"

He dropped Gohan to the ground unceremoniously and wagged his long tail in front of him, uncoiling it from around his thick waist. Gohan ran back behind Goku, shivering.

Roshi yelled, pointing.

"L-Look at that thing! It's _ twice _ as long as Goku's was!" He fell back, cringing in horror at even being in close proximity to such a creature. Master Roshi got back to his feet shakily with his cane, and gasped as he observed the two.

"My _ tail? _ I woke up one day and it was gone. I think it fell off." Goku said, looking around at his own butt sheepishly.

"_ How? _ How can you be so carefree! Now you're useless to me, without your tail you can't transform into a great ape! It's our greatest advantage! When under the light of a full moon, we become as large as the mountains, strong and powerful! To crush all in our wake!" Raditz shouted, stomping one boot in emphasis. Goku looked to Raditz, then to Master Roshi, trying to piece together the puzzle that had eluded him since the death of his Grandfather Gohan. Master Roshi cleared his throat.

"I think I can answer your questions, Mr. Radish, sir. Goku's tail was cut off, after one too many incidents under the full moon... and the moon, well, I _ destroyed it!" _ He said with a self-satisfied grin, then backed away quickly behind Goku.

Raditz steamed, his eyes nearly turning red at the shocking revelation. A growl rumbled deep in his chest, his tall, armoured shadow casting down on the ground before them.

"You did **what**?" He spat out, his voice growing more grating with anger; eyes practically burning with ebony fire.

His feeble-minded brother gazed up at the sky, where the moon once was.

"...Wait, then, if I'm a Saiyan, and I can become big and crush things, then, did... " A look of stunned horror crossed his face, and he looked to Master Roshi with large, frightened eyes. Oolong and Puar shuffled away from the crowd, not wanting to draw attention to the fact that they both had been witness to Goku's transformation at one time.

The old man lowered his head and placed one hand on his large friend's burly orange shoulder, with a sigh.

"Goku, I'm sorry to tell you this, but yes. You _ were _ the big monster that killed your Grandpa Gohan."

Goku looked at him, astonished, and Raditz continued to look down at the scene; his irritated frown turning upwards in sadistic amusement.

"_ No...no...it can't be! " _ He shook his head, large tears beginning to spill down his cheeks. Launch looked on at the sad scene, taking the warm refuge under Tien's protective arm that held her and Chiaotzu safely guarded. She glared at the large alien man, her green eyes narrowing hatefully as she grimaced.

Raditz laughed heartily, and spoke once again, his own laughter cut short by his rasping, gruff voice.

"Oh yes, it very well is. You and I are two of the only four Saiyans left in this universe. Our home, Planet Vegeta was destroyed by a meteor and all the people on it, including our mother and father! There are others like us, though brother! They are not far off from here, come with us and discover what you have been missing!"

"No! I won't side with you! You aren't my brother, and I'm not one of you!"

"...Fine then. If that is the way it's going to be. I _ will _ find a way for you to come with me, and do your rightful duty to destroy this planet- As you should have long ago, and become a soldier for Lord Frieza's army."

With that, he sneered; backing up quickly. His form was just a transparent blur as Goku attempted to dart away, Raditz suddenly appeared right before him and kneed Goku in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him temporarily. Goku fell into the surf, Raditz snatching up the half-breed while Goku was still regaining his breath.

"You have one last option, if you can slay 100 measly mortals, and pile their bodies up on this shore in 24 hours, perhaps I will allow you to join us."

"NEVER, I will never use my power to hurt good people!" Goku snarled back adamantly, glaring up at Raditz fearlessly. Raditz looked down, blinking, and his hopeful enthusiasm died.

"Perhaps the death of your son will persuade you? I'd rather not slay my own brother's son, but what choice do I have?"

He smiled, holding Gohan beneath his arm like a bundle of trash, Raditz looked down on Goku with those cold, dead eyes beneath the blue-green reflection of the ocean on his scouter.

Raditz rose up into the sky slowly, the cries of Gohan echoing throughout the sky as he dangled him by his tail cruelly.

"Gohan!" Goku cried, and with that, they were gone.

* * *

_ Tink! Tink! Tink! _

The sound of a hammer was the only sound emanating from the dome where a teal haired beauty worked. Bulma Briefs was uncharacteristically quiet as her longtime boyfriend Yamcha and friend Krillin came over for lunch, she never left the workstation in the back of the Capsule Corps. Compound. Some months ago it had been her friend Chi-Chi's honest surprise to stumble upon an ancient spacecraft while gathering herbs out in Mount Paozu, and she and Goku immediately delivered it to Bulma, knowing she would like to examine such an amazing discovery.

The black screen came undone, and she set it aside. Bulma giggled, adding the finishing touch; the now completely rebuilt motherboard. She set down her screwdriver and held her breath in anticipation as she eagerly poked and prodded the console, which was now completely repaired, practically like new. Bulma felt elated when the board lit up in bright orange lettering.

"Finally! Now _ that's _ what I thought! No piece of equipment is too complicated for the beautiful Bulma Briefs, I am after all a genius." She giggled, feeling proud of her well-deserved accomplishment. Now it was time for celebration, _ Perhaps a nice, long bubble bath and a glass of champagne would hit the spot! _ She thought, smiling.

When she first tinkered with it 10 months ago, she was startled to hear garbled feedback from one of the speakers, and faded orange lettering scrolling across the screen. She hadn't meant to send out the distress signal, not that she wouldn't have been brave enough to do such a thing. She had figured out in a short time the loose meaning of the controls and their function.

"Now all I need is some kind of alien dictionary and this baby's ready for takeoff!" She said with enthusiasm, shutting down the machine and wiping her hands with a grease rag before tossing it, not noticing the faint glow beneath the rag and the clicking of buttons as she hopped out of the spherical ship, with a look of determination glimmering in her dazzling azure eyes. She walked over to see her old friends sitting down for lunch with her mother 'Panchy', meaning Panty, or as most called her, 'Bunny' Briefs. The Briefs had an oddly long record of naming their children after types of underwear, and Bulma didn't plan on ending it.

"Oh Yamcha, you're just so um.._ .rugged! _ Ya know, a girl really needs a **strong** man around the house!" She tittered, to both of their embarrassment.

"Hi Momma, why don't you go inside and see if there's any more of those tasty lemon cakes we like," Bulma suggested sweetly, nibbling on one of the toasted finger sandwiches set out before the two red-faced warriors, smoothing back her long, straight tresses that grazed the arch of her back, only a small spot of grease smeared on her porcelain cheek. She wore an old red tank top that bared her midriff, and paint-splattered overalls that only seemed to enhance her now womanly shape. It had been a long time since she'd been out searching for the Dragon Balls, or even seen Yamcha, and she'd been growing more inclined on thinking about what she wanted to do in her future as the heiress of Capsule Corporation, and _ less _ about playing with her childhood buddies.

"Wow, Bulma, you look... _ awesome!" _ The former desert bandit enthused, standing to give her a friendly hug, and a chaste kiss on the cheek, his rough stubble pricking her. She pushed away after a second, pinching her nose shut.

"Gosh, Yamcha, you _ reek! _ When's the last time you took a bath?" He gaped at her, startled, scratching at his long mane of hair that would soon be attracting flies to their picnic.

"Well, you know I've been away training in the wilderness for a long time, and they don't _ exactly _ have the high-class accommodations you're used to, babe." He said, hiding his dirt-encrusted fingernails behind his back.

"Oh, and _ how long _ have you been back? I know that you've been in town, I heard from Krillin! You could have at **least** called." She scolded, placing her hands on her hips. "W-well, only a little over a week, honest! I've just been over at Master Roshi's getting in some more training. I really wanted to see you. I've missed you a lot." He said, lowering his eyes in a submissive way, which totally turned her off.

"Why don't you go home and take a long shower, _ stinky _. Then maybe you can talk to me! Sorry, Krillin, you'll have to visit some other time." She huffed, looking away from him and storming away into the house. Krillin looked at Yamcha and shrugged, then they went about finishing off the rest of the sandwiches greedily until Mrs. Briefs brought out the lemon cakes.

"Did Bulma go inside? Oh dear, these are her favorites. What will I do with them all?" Yamcha wiped a smear of mayonnaise from his mouth with the back of his hand and spoke through a mouthful of food.

"We'll take care of um' missus Briefs." She nodded, setting down the tray of goodies and raising her dainty hand to her cheek, the corner of her mouth twitching and almost revealing the disgust under her sweet exterior.

_ What I wouldn't do to see my Bulma finally find her prince charmin'... _

Far into the ever-darkening backyard, in the white alcove, a faint voice spoke across the glowing communication board.

_ "Message received Ship 276. This is Commander, Prince Vegeta, do you copy?... Come in, Ship 276, This is your superior officer demanding a response at your earliest convenience! Ship 385 out!"_

* * *

Goku cringed, looking up to the sky.There was no way he would ever do what Raditz asked, it was unthinkable. Goku looked up to see where a familiar Namekian stood, scoffing and looking as if he'd rather be anywhere but there. This was the same Piccolo he had fought at the Martial Arts tournament. 

Goku stood, rubbing the bruise on his stomach and cocked his head towards Piccolo, feeling puzzled as to why he was here.

_"Piccolo!?_ What are **you** doing here?" Goku asked, astounded.

"I have been witness to this pathetic show of complete idiocy, you **do** realize that you alone won't be able to defeat him? His strength is extraordinary. He's an opponent that neither you, nor I can stand up to. However, if you and I team up, then there is a slight possibility that we can defeat him."

He said with a glare, turning his face away from Goku's amazed eyes.

"What's come over you?"

"Don't get your hopes up. I have not become eager for peace. I don't care what happens to your son, either. This Raditz is just an obstacle in my quest for world domination. Once we've taken care of him, I'm going to defeat you, and this time, I intend to take over this pitiful world for sure! " He snarled, eyes lighting with fury.

"Well, I won't let you take over the world, but the part where we team up sounds like a good idea. Guess we just have to put up with it!" He shrugged.

"As far as I'm concerned, teaming up with you makes me want to _ puke!" _ Piccolo said sharply and turned away from him.

Goku laughed nervously, "Oh, uh... well, let's not waste any more time then!"

  
  



	2. Tides of Change

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Raditz gets treatment for his wounds, Bulma gets blown off, Vegeta dreams, and breakfast time

Swirling tinges of blood floated on the surface of the darkening cerulean ocean, mixing with the seafoam and coloring it pale vermillion, then sinking down as the current carried it away. He had walked the long trek through the desert, until he reached water, unable at his state to fly for very long. Raditz attempted to get back to his ship before collapsing on the shore of the beach, on the very cusp of death, the tide coming in and washing over his prone form.

* * *

Launch turned off the T.V and straightened up the living room, placing the pillows back on the couch then wandered out to the kitchen, looking around for anyone in the oddly silent island home.

"Tien?" She called, noticing a half eaten bowl of popcorn on the counter but him nowhere to be found. She looked to the clock on the wall and sighed.

_Another day, gone... _Launch hated how anytime that she transformed she had only a vague idea of the events that went on while her other side took over, she picked up on strange things like having changed clothes, or being in a different spot than before, but things were mostly a blur when her other self took over.

The minute hand ticked as Launch began to grow restless. She felt a sort of strange magnetism to go outside, that drew her by her very blood with each wave of the ocean. Launch's eyes grew listless as she walked outside, her bare feet padding through the soft sand as she was pulled with each wave of the tide, beneath the dark sky of many stars, the milky way galaxy more luminous than ever before now that the moon had ceased to exist, not even returning after the last wish on the Dragon Balls to restore the world after King Piccolo wreaked havoc, Krillin was murdered and Chiaoutzu and Master Roshi perished during the battle to contain the demon king.

After all, the moon was separate from the earth and in itself its own entity. She stood, staring out as if in a trance at the glistening water dappled by starlight, her eyes swirling dark plum whirlpools, her small red lips moving and whispering soundlessly. Launch continued to drag her feet through the surf, wading until she was up to her knees in water that was ribboned with blood, not noticing the gently caressing tendrils of hair around her ankle.

It pulled at his subconscious, tickled the outer realms of his dreams as Raditz stirred from his unconscious state, his mind heavy; a dense fog of pain clouding his awareness. A susurration like no other, an intonation that sang, then grew in pitch until he was awoken, clenching his teeth as the sound pierced his sensitive hearing.

Raditz blinked wearily, and felt around on the seafloor, feeling something tangible he clutched it and squeezed as he got himself up to his knees. Launch gasped; torn from her trance once feeling the firm squeeze around her calf and came face to face with a darkened shadowy figure, that met her eyes a moment then grew in height, darkening the light around her. Only the whites of his eyes were dimly visible as he breathed with a reedy hiss, reaching and clasping her by the shoulder.

"Why do you sing such a sorrowful tune, Girl?" His gravelling voice curled with question sent shivers down her spine, as her breath was caught in her throat she was stunned by fear, unable to speak.

"_Ahnh..!" _He seethed in pain, clutching his chest and falling forward, holding himself up by one knee as he fell toward her and she cradled his head against her, shivering at the feel of his warm breath on her chest.

"You must help me, I have to get back... I need to... _Agh!"_ He shuddered, drifting in and out with the near fatal wound that bypassed his heart and blasted a large hole through his breastplate, the flesh inside the shattered black plate dark and glistening with blood.

Launch looked on in concern, and pulled the man up the best she could. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and allowed her to walk him indoors, guiding him to sit down on her bed. Launch was sitting at the edge watching worrisomely as he removed his armour and felt the wounds wetness on his palm, falling back to the pillow as he groaned out in agony. He panted, partially opening one eye and growling as he clutched her arm and shook her.

"Girl! T-take care of my wounds before I bleed to death, Now! Or I'll b-blast your head clean off your pretty shoulders!" He snarled, and Launch shook from the threat, blinking and assessing the condition of the man in trepidation; her eyes raking over his broad chest littered with bruises and cuts that were trickling blood, the dark opening in his center that pulsed out blood faster than even his evolved form could bear. She swallowed, nodding.

_I can do this. I'm not afraid. He needs my help or he will die... _First Launch cleaned his wounds free of debris with peroxide, the bubbles washing away granules of sand in pink foam, then she tore sections off of the bed sheet, taking one large wad and packing his deep wound where he was hit by the beam cannon and wrapping it around his chest tightly.

She then steeled herself and began stitching his arm back together where a section of muscle tore nearly from the bone as he hissed in pain, his pupils dilating to pinpricks then glazing over as she assessed the rest of him; unstrapping his arm bracers. She tore her eyes away from the sight of his tight black shorts melded to the shape of his groin, multiple lacerations littered his thick legs, and if she didn't attend to the mangled skin on his thigh soon his artery could very well bleed out.

Launch worked carefully to sew the tear in the pulsing red ligament, her hands and face splattered with blood, then bound it tight with the white sheets, then moved onto the non-fatal flesh wounds needed to be bandaged, until all that was left were the cuts that now had began to scab over, his blood now clotting once again after being cleaned of the sea water. She wiped her hands clean with a wet cloth, then looked at his brow creased with dirt in the deep stress lines there, as he groaned deeply and slept fitfully.

Launch squeezed out the cloth and stroked it across his brow, cleaning the dirt away. She removed the strange glass device attached to his ear easily and set it on the bedside table. Then, she tentatively wiped his skin that was smooth and hairless on his cheeks, unlike the rest of his body. Her hand trembled as she started to draw away, and was startled when she heard an odd sound like a rumbling purr, then he spoke through heavily slurring lips.

"Where'd ya go...?" Then he mumbled something incoherent; his thick band of short, dark lashes twitching as he dreamed.

Launch sat by his warm side and finished cleaning the dirt from his face, with a tiny smile as the content purr started up again she giggled softly, thinking of him like some kind of oversized house cat when really he was more like a sabertooth tiger. _How cute...! _She stroked the deep widow's peak on his forehead with her fingertips, feeling the rough textured hair and he moved just a small amount into her hand, earning an even longer rumble that lulled him into a deep sleep, no longer groaning with each breath of air.

She removed his boots and pulled the blanket up over him, watching as he turned to the side and sighed heavily. Launch moved away slowly so as not to wake him, and retreated to the bathroom to shower. She stripped away her green tank top and shorts, peeling away her red panties and stepped inside, holding her quivering arms and allowing the hot water to cleanse her of the man's blood, which ran in streams down the drain.

The sharp coppery scent hit her nostrils and she let out a small cry. Launch squeezed her eyes shut, pouring shampoo in her hand she lathered her hair, turning away from the drain and breathing in only the flowery shampoo's aroma.

_I'm just...So scared...that it won't be enough... if he dies, It'll be on me.. his blood, on my hands... _She shivered, her shadow in the shower curtain dark as she craned her head backwards and sobbed.

Raditz took a deep rattling inhale, opening his eyes to near slits he breathed in, his mouth parted and huffed, licking his dry lips. Light spilled from the crack of the door, and there was the sound of water dappling the shower curtain. He moved his arm and felt his bandages, his hand quivering. _That girl really did it. I shall survive this.. Thanks to her._ He closed his eyes and drifted off.

A while later Launch pulled her pink nightgown over her head, then she went to sit at her desk, opening a small diary. She wrote a short entry of the day's events and closed it, hiding it back away in its drawer. It gave her some sense of control; at least over this side, even though the entries didn't always make complete sense. She wished that one day, they would make more sense.

Launch paused at the side of the bed, lacing her fingers nervously behind her back as she observed the mysterious guest snoring in her bed. She yawned, stretching and climbed into bed, curling up in the narrow section not occupied and quickly drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Tien paced back and forth in the darkness, feeling conflicted with the thoughts of the previous events. He had tried to sleep, but his mind kept wandering to thoughts about Launch and replaying them in his mind until he was sweating and straining to resist the temptation, gripping the sheets to avoid giving in to the aching in his loins and he felt as if he were being sinful just imagining her in such a way, his body betraying him._ I want so badly just to give in, now that I've allowed the darkness in it will try to consume me._ Tien shook his head, agonizing over the forces battling within him.

He blinked, glancing up at the sky and felt his third eye guiding the others, to a far off flickering star in the dense ribbons of the galaxy. He felt warm tingles shooting down his abdomen, shivers tickling icily up his back as he pressed his lips together and emitted a low hum, his center eye slowly closing.

_Yes. I know. I feel the draw. I have to leave this place. _He snapped himself out of his concentrated spell, shuddering and tearing his eyes away from the sky, he took flight towards the mountains.

_I must be cleansed. Before it's too late._

* * *

The buzz of fluorescent lights and the slow drip of water were the only audible sounds in the silence, as Bulma stirred back to life; rubbing her eyes and looking around herself in confusion. She was sitting on the filthy floor of a bathroom stall, she realized; and stood up, brushing off her crinkled dress.

"Ew, what the heck did I fall asleep?" Her voice echoed against the yellowed tiles, and she left the stall and walked to the sink to clean the remnants of smeared mascara from her cheeks.

_Oh yeah... that's right... I was mad at Yamcha.._ She frowned, reaching in her purse to freshen her makeup with a powder puff, she saw the blue illumination of her cell phone lighting up the pocket. Bulma took out her phone and scrolled through the multiple messages and missed calls from Yamcha, there was also one from Chi-Chi and her Mom. Bulma sighed, reading Yamcha's last message.

_Hey babe, I gotta get going, I'm not sure why you won't come out, I guess you must have gotten sick. I hope you won't be mad but Krillin wanted me to meet up with him at the club and I promised I would earlier before I picked you up. I hope you feel better soon. Love, Yamcha._

Bulma scoffed, snapping the phone closed and left the bathroom, earning a slack-jawed gape from the night shift janitor as she sauntered out the door with her head held high.

_I don't need Yamcha, you know what he can forget about going out with me again, just goes to show I'm too good for that loser!_

She chuckled softly, enjoying the crisp twilight air. She decided maybe she would walk home. After all, it was a beautiful night and the city was quiet as she removed her high heels and walked down the cool asphalt, humming a soft tune to herself.

* * *

He was weightless. Neither dead nor alive, Vegeta was in suspended animation, his eyes tightly closed, tiny bubbles funneling out from the respirator with each long, peaceful hiss of breath.

_The red sun in the scarlet sky above hung lofty over the grand ivory towers, bathing all in its crimson aura. They were beneath the great shadow of an Xenoba tree, its bright, fragrant azure blossoms dancing down gracefully and settling on the ground._

_"Vegeta?" Her voice called, and he only hit the bark harder with his fist, grinning as small tendrils of light burst forth and pulsed through the dark flesh, cracking it. He felt a gentle touch on his shoulder and turned sharply, frowning._

_"I told you, we do not harm the Xenoba tree. It has done nothing to deserve this. It provides us with fruit, yet you only wish to scar its flesh, Vegeta...?"_

_He looked up at her silhouette before the sky. His mother, Vasenya. "But the tree has no feelings, Mother. It can't think for itself anyway. Why should I care?" The little boy with a furrowed brow spat, and he felt her long tail coil around to gently stroke his chin, and his moved mindlessly to wrap around hers._

_"You must learn when to have mercy, and when to use your power to demonstrate punishment, if such a thing threatens to defy our world's order._

_As King, you cannot simply earn our people's favor with blood. It is in our nature to feel anger, we Saiyans are violently passionate. But, also, we love with the strongest loyalty."_

_She spoke softly, almost in a whisper. His eyes met hers, his small mouth open with wonderment. She pulled him into her arms, against the silken royal garb she wore, that was royal blue with red blood flowers._

_"Mother...?" He said, into her dark plaits of hair that wrapped around her collar like necklaces, beaded with fine gems and silver chains. "Yes?" Vasenya pulled back, looking down with her soft eyes like bottomless pits of velvet._

_"I love you." He said, and cried; knowing that one day she would be gone, knowing that although strong, Saiyans weren't blessed with Immortality._

He stirred, tossing his head. Vegeta tried to both push away and chase after the images, he didn't wish to linger there in the past any longer; knowing that it was only a dream. And yet, he never wanted to leave.

* * *

The roar of water was deafening, in fact; it was so loud that it made everything around him disappear. Tien sighed, his head lowered and eyes shut as the waterfall crashed all around him. He folded his hands in front of him and said a prayer for purification. His anxiety had finally calmed, as had his body. With the cold, he no longer felt anything.

He stood, arching his neck back and allowing the water to cascade down his body, which was slick and rippling with muscle, his abdomen tapering down to his purple fundoshi that was saturated and molded to his form. He came out from under the waterfall and breathed in deeply, his chest rising as he brought his arms up, making slow circles, that varied, first rotating one arm clockwise, then the other counter-clockwise, twisting his abdomen as he brought them around to his side, then the other side and formed his hands as if to make a ball.

Concentrating his ki he performed the ritualistic act of Tai-Chi; slowly, breathing in deeply and exhaling as he brought the ball back around his side, over his head and down, and it grew in intensity, the beads of water dripping from him and evaporating into the air as his body heat increased, he panted, drops of sweat running down his temples.

Tien turned on his ankles in the water, flexing one leg forward and the other backward, he brought the ball to his hip and then forward, widening his eyes and roaring:_ "Reikitzen!"_

An the intense blast erupted from him, the glow illuminated yellow as it exploded through the air, arcing down the sheer mountainside then creating an impact crater in the ground. He exhaled, relaxing and stepped onto the rocky shore to retrieve his pants.

_I'll talk to Launch later and apologize for my actions. I hope she'll understand that we may have gotten off on the wrong foot, and still wish to continue staying in my presence._

* * *

With dawn came the sunlight once again, as warmth flooded inside from the window of the small pink painted room. Raditz felt the warmth on his eyelids, and with that, the intense pain all throughout his body, he attempted to sit up but found his aching muscles uncooperative. He swore, pounding his fist into the bed, feeling something bounce upward with the thunderous blow.

"Hm?" He looked over to see an indigo haired girl, landing back on the bed like a ragdoll, sprawled on her back with one leg hanging off, lightly snoring.

_This is a nice catch, I'm surprised she's still breathing. Wait.. What happened?_

He nudged her shoulder, earning a small mumble.

"Get up, Girl. I'm hungry." He snarled, and shook her until her head bobbed around and Launch opened her eyes dazedly, a bit dizzy. Launch blinked her eyes, registering the sight of the herculean creature before her with an expression like an angry baboon with sharp teeth poking into his bottom lip.

"Finally, I thought you were almost dead." He sighed with relief, thinking: _I don't even remember fucking this girl, I would have liked to do it again._

"Huh?" She fell backwards on her rear as he sat up and darkened the light around her.

"Do I get food at least?" He grunted.

"Oh, that's right. You're that kitty man!" She giggled. Mocking his purr and making paws with her little hands and licking them, pretending to clean her face.

"What?! Kitty!? I'm no _fucking_ cat!" He steamed, his upper lip twitching trying to keep from smiling at her cute rendition. Launch tilted her head.

"Well, why do you purr like a cat?" She asked innocently, with her large violet eyes tunneling into his. He darted his eyes away, growling.

"I don't. _FUCKING. **PURR**. I GROWL!"_ He snapped, growling loudly for emphasis, the sound vibrating the bed.

"Hehe! Do it again, again!" She enthused, bouncing.

Raditz glared at her, feeling exasperated but also hiding that he was mildly amused.

"It's not a parlor trick, Girl. I'll growl when I mean it, and I'm going to start growling pretty soon if I don't eat! I want food, **now**, and _lots_ of it!"

"Ok!" She said brightly, bounding out of the room. He sighed a large breath of relief, letting his eyes roll back as his head hit the pillow with exhaustion. _I need to get some food in me, and quickly. I can't heal fast enough without proper sustenance._

He closed his eyes, allowing himself to feel all the pain now that the girl was gone, he had put on a strong face for her. There was no way he would show that he was in pain, he didn't need anyone's pity. Raditz wracked his brain trying to remember how he got injured so badly, and why he was here. He only had the faint memory of water, and that strange singing that he had heard. He allowed himself a few more moments of rest, he felt so tired he could barely keep his eyes open.

Launch hummed happily as she flipped the pancakes over, the stove loaded with pans of sizzling bacon, dripping eggs and pancake batter. Her eyes shut blissfully as she felt happy to have someone actually asking her to cook, he actually demanded it!

She loved to cook even though sometimes things went wrong or came out tasting slightly odd, it made her feel content. Master Roshi came into the kitchen and grinned at the sight of her in only her short nightgown, swaying her hips back and forth as she cooked.

"Mm-mm! Breakfast sure does smell good, Launch!" He said, looking to the drawer where he kept 20 bottles of Pepto-Bismol for such an occasion. After all, a man had to eat.

"Oh, good morning, Master Roshi. It's not for you." She said, without any aggression just simply stating it as a matter of fact. He jerked his head back and frowned.

"Oh, er, whose_ is _it for?" Launch giggled as she plated a large stack of pancakes and poured maple syrup over them.

"The man in my bed!" She said naively, and sighed heavily, holding the spatula to her chest and batting her eyelashes. Master Roshi's eyes bugged out so far they nearly popped his sunglasses off like inflating air bags, his jaw dropped, staring as she continued cooking as if she hadn't said anything strange._ Ohhh, I see, maybe Tien did strike gold! I oughta give that boy a medal!_

At that moment Tien strolled into the kitchen, walking to the refrigerator and took out a gallon of orange juice, unscrewing the cap and tilting back his head to drink it. Launch heard him and popped over from the stove and snatched it out of his hand before he could drink it. "That's not for you!" She scolded, swatting him lightly on the nose. _He won't get better if he doesn't get his Vitamin C!_

Tien froze, his mouth hanging open and stared at her in befuddlement. Master Roshi watched the exchange and scratched his bald head.

_Uhh, Guess he's not it..?_

"But, Launch..." Tien finally managed to say, still flabbergasted.

_Hmph! He always complains about my cooking anyways! He may be handsome, but I have a hurting man to take care of!_

She huffed, dishing out the rest of the food on another Turkey platter, holding the orange juice on her hip as she balanced them.

"I have a _very_ hungry man to feed, _If you'll **excuse** me!" _She said in a squeaky mouselike voice, tossing her hair back and sauntering out, with an air of attitude they had never seen from this side of Launch. Tien and Roshi looked to another and frowned, their shoulders sagging. "Well, guess we're shit outta luck, huh?" Roshi said, and Tien crossed his arms, nodding.

* * *

"Man, morning already..?!" Bulma sighed, sitting on a bench rubbing her aching feet.

"What a dumb idea that was, I didn't realize that pizza place was so far from home, and no taxis will come get me at this hour." She groaned, and stood back up. _After all, any exercise is good exercise, right?_

"Right!" She said, brightly, trying to keep her spirits up. Bulma looked to the sunrise, admiring how pretty the sky was, all lit up with golden rays of sunlight beneath the fluffy white clouds. Then, she put her finger to her lip, puzzled, at two streaks of light. Unlike a plane, they arched downwards at a velocity that seemed to increasing dramatically, and the sound as well becoming a thunderous peal, she jumped backwards in fear as she realized that they were blasting to the earth like meteors, and the sound became even louder to the point she covered her ears at the high-pitched whistle. Bulma sunk to her knees and could only stare as they made impact, and flinched at the sonic wave that reverberated through the ground, holding her hands over her head and curling into a ball on the ground as dust flew from the crumbling asphalt.

Screams rang out around her and sudden blasts like laser beams, the light from beyond the hill where she was elevated glowing and fading in flashes of light purple and blue. _That's it, it's the end of the world and I'm royally screwed!_

She cringed, _Wait a minute... those things...could it be? The space ship I found was designed for fast travel, but it had no kind of landing device, a ship like that would **have** to crash to the ground!_ She grinned, her lips curled up at the corners deviantly.

"Well, what can ya say, curiosity may have killed the cat, but it won't kill Bulma Briefs!" She said, opening up her purse and taking out her case of capsules.

"Normally I would save this for something _really_ desperate... but it seems I've found my aliens after all!" Then she tossed the capsule, and with a poof a motorbike appeared, full with an automatic turret and thrusters. She slung her leg over the seat, putting on her helmet, then revved the engine and rocketed through the air downhill to the site of the collision.

* * *

Tien had just finished cooking breakfast for himself, Chiaoutzu and Master Roshi as Krillin walked through the door.

"Hi guys!" He said, happily and sat at the table.

"Ready to get training?" He said brightly, "Yeah, say where's Yamcha?" Tien asked, taking a bite from the healthy veggie omelette he had made. Krillin looked down at the table, swallowing,

"Um, I'm not sure, he must have slept in or something...I haven't heard from him since we left Bulma's house." He said, lowly.

"Well, _ya snooze, ya lose!"_ Roshi said, picking at his food. Launch's food might send him to the toilet, but at least it wasn't this healthy junk.

"Hey, has anyone seen Goku since that guy showed up last night?" Tien asked, suddenly worried.

"What guy?" Krillin asked.

"This horrible man named Raditz... He said he was Goku's brother, but he's nothing like him _at all!_ I was going to follow him, but.." Tien lowered his eyes, and told him all the details of the story. "Hm.. I think I'd better call Chi-Chi." Master Roshi said, no longer in a cheerful mood he walked out of the room, sighing.

"Can I watch T.V, Tien?" Chiaoutzu called from the living room, not having heard the conversation.

"Did you finish your food?" He asked, "Yes." He responded.

"Alright. For a little bit. Then we have to get training." He said, standing and rinsing off his plate. _We're going to need it by the looks of things._

Krillin sighed, twiddling his fingers together. "I have a really bad feeling about all this." He said, the nervous stress showing on his face.

* * *

Yamcha stirred, the bed shaking as if there was an earthquake. He sat up, rubbing his eyes. _Ugh, my head... drank way too much last night..._

"Yamcha! Yamcha!" Puar whined, flying over and sitting on his shoulder. "Something bad is happening! You have to get up!" He cried out, shivering.

"Shut that dumb cat up!," A husky voice groaned, from the other side of the bed where a mass of bleach blonde hair was tangled.

"Oh, sorry honey. Puar, quiet down!"

Yamcha scolded, and Puar looked uneasily at the scene, feeling uncomfortable in the room with Yamcha's side piece, Fancy. He didn't like it at all, this whole scandal had started almost a year ago now, when Yamcha met the girl at the club one night and took her home, then had kept it hidden from Bulma ever since.

Puar felt horrible knowing he couldn't tell her, but he was Yamcha's best friend and all he could do was try to help him keep his life on track.

"I'm going back to bed, Puar. Why don't you go out there and check it out and go tell the guys. I'll be around later." He said groggily, and rolled back over, wrapping his arm around Fancy. Puar nodded, grimly and flew to go outside, maybe he could find Oolong and ask to stay with him until Yamcha broke up with Fancy again, like they did every few weeks. He sighed, opening the door and flying off.


	3. Drift of The Stars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nappa and Vegeta tune into the battle through Raditz's scouter log, the battle comes to an end, Tien and Launch have some fun, and Bulma and Yamcha go on a date.

The cacophony of locusts and crickets chirping made an uproarious din in the dense jungle, over which Vegeta swore, clicking off his scouter.

"What was that all about, Prince Vegeta?" Nappa asked, all too familiar with the quick temper of his royal superior. "Nevermind that, Nappa, just some blabbering woman on the other end. Probably has no idea how to work a sophisticated craft like ours." He said, tearing off a piece of meat from the insectoid limb and chewing it with a bitter expression.

"What's a woman doing in a Saiyan space pod?" Nappa chuckled, as he too took a loud crunching bite from the green shell. Vegeta mulled over this, then said lowly,

"I don't know, but I don't like it. That ship's been dead in the water for over 25 years." Vegeta sighed, then swallowed the putrid flesh with a hard gulp.

"What I wouldn't do for some decent fucking food!" He growled, throwing the offensive meat into the large pile of Tritekian bodies.

"It's alright, Boss. We're just about done here, then maybe we can take a little detour, seeing as we finished so early without that blundering idiot_,_ Raditz messing everything up with his boozin' an' whoring!" He laughed, tossing the meat down and walking farther into the dense jungle of Planet Tritek; the odd mottled light through the treetop canopy of pink and green leaves altering the golden paint of Vegeta's armour to green, and illuminating his dense black mane to a sanguine shade of red, as the two strange suns of Planet Tritek began to set in the North Galaxy.

* * *

Goku had taken off faster than the speed of light on his nimbus cloud, after the tense encounter with his newly reacquainted elder brother Raditz, who had kidnapped Gohan.

Tien and Launch stared up at the sky worriedly, as Goku's form became only a small dot on the horizon.

"Hmm. Maybe I should go after them. Goku could use my help.." He mused, looking down to Chiaoutzu and then Launch. "No! It's too dangerous, Tien!" Launch cried out, her raspy voice shrill with fear. Tien was startled by her sudden outburst, puzzled as to why she would care. "Chiaoutzu, stay here." He patted his friend on the head.

"I don't want you to go either, Tien! I'm scared!" Chiaoutzu cried, clutching his green pant leg. Tien sighed.

"Well, I suppose this _is_ Goku's personal business after all." He said, as he rubbed the side of his smooth head thoughtfully.

"He'll be alright, he's tough! He'll beat that muscle-headed creep, I just know it!" Launch said with enthusiasm, punching his arm playfully. Tien was pleasantly surprised with the amount of strength that was in it.

"You're right, Launch, no matter what happens, Goku always seems to beat the odds." He replied, looking at her now for perhaps the longest he ever had. He couldn't help but notice how beneath her hard exterior, Launch was after all; still a girl. A pretty one at that, especially under the light of the sunset, with bands of gold shining in her hair, the emerald green of her eyes luminous with unshed tears.

"Ok. I'll stay." He said, and was surprised when not only Chiaoutzu but also Launch threw their arms around him, sobbing in relief. Master Roshi cleared his throat, looking to his old friend Turtle before the vast expanse of ocean blue.

"Goku will be fine. I always knew he was something special." He said, softly and strolled down the shore with the sea turtle in tow, talking quietly amongst themselves. Tien pulled back from Launch's iron grip, chuckling nervously.

"Say, um, Launch, what do you say we take our minds off all this trouble. Let's do something fun later." She looked up to him with widened eyes, and Chiaoutzu jumped up and down excitedly.

"Can we play a game, Tien? _Please, please, please?" _He looked at his little friend and smiled.

"Perhaps, but you have to get going to bed in a little while, Chiaoutzu. Why don't you help Launch clean the kitchen real quick?" He said, knowing that Chiaoutzu would soon become tired and go to bed on his own. _If I'm being honest, I could really use a break sometimes from playing the act of big brother._

"Ok! I'll do it really fast, Tien, it'll be done in no time!" He yelled happily, taking off inside. Launch looked at Tien and winked subtly, her cheeks flushed pink.

"See ya later, _handsome_." She said in a soft, sultry voice.

Tien was so startled his face turned a dark shade of red. All of his eyes widened as she giggled, his eyebrow twitching as he stared at her bunny-tailed rear swaying purposefully for him to see as she went inside.

_Oh jeez. What am I **doing**? _He thought, and turned away bashfully, taking off to the backyard to get some crane poses in. _Hopefully, that will get this weird fluttering feeling out from in my stomach._

* * *

Bulma sighed, as she sunk deeper into the bathtub. She was contentedly sipping on her bubbly champagne, staring at her wiggling red toenails as she stretched one leg out over the tub and relaxed. Bulma was feeling uneasy, and was trying her best to push the negative thoughts out of her mind about Yamcha. She wondered if he really cared as much as he said, if he did, wouldn't he have come over sooner and at the very least given her a call?

She downed the rest of the champagne, setting it on the side of the tub, sinking down and growling into the bubbles.

_He better make this up to me, you know! I'm not just any ordinary girl, I'm better than that! I shouldn't have to beg to get some attention!_ She huffed, crossing her legs.

Bulma let her mind wander; as it often did these days, she just felt so lonely, like there was something..._missing_ in her life.

_If only I could find my Mr. Right. I wish it could be Yamcha, but the way things are looking, I'm not sure it's him anymore. I want a **real man,** someone who isn't just tall, dark and handsome. Someone who is thoughtful, who can match me in a battle of wits, or just kiss me like I'm the only girl in the world..._

Bulma sighed longingly, twirling her long, silky, conditioned hair between her fingers, tilting back her head. _Yamcha kisses me like I'm his **grandma** or something... I need a man who's not afraid to get a little **rough**, to show me **exactly** how much he desires me..._ She shivered a little, trailing her fingernail down her slick throat, down to her soft chest and beneath the cover of the bubbles_. I mean, is it **so bad** to want to feel like you're special? To want to have an unselfish man, who makes sure that I'm happy... and satisfies me... **completely**? _Bulma's legs spread open under the water and she fluttered her blue eyelashes as she sunk down deeper, her face drifting to the side as she parted her lips and exhaled.

_Oh yeah... that's what I'm talking about..._

_"Bulma__, honey! You have a visitor!~_" Her mother's voice calling up the stairs startled her, and she popped up out of the water, gulping nervously as if guilty.

_"Just a minute!"_ She pulled the tub's plug quickly and closed the shower curtain. Bulma then turned on the water to rinse off, yelping at the sudden burst of cold water before it became warm. Bunny's voice on the other side of the door startled her as she attempted to clear her fuzzy head.

"It's Yamcha, and he says to put on a nice dress, he's got a surprise for ya!" She said giddily, and the words only caused Bulma more stress as she turned off the water and pulled a fluffy pink towel off the nearby rack. She wrapped it around herself, bundling her long hair up with another and stepping out.

"I wonder what it is this time?" Bulma said, slightly miffed. She hoped that it was something nice and not like before, when he just wanted to show her a new martial arts move he learned. Bulma didn't want to get her hopes up then shot down like before.

"Oh, don't worry sweetie, I think this time he's gonna _really_ impress you! I know he sure did me!" Bunny said, fanning her face, slipping out of the room so Bulma could get changed.

"I'm going to see what your father's up to!" Bunny giggled. Bulma turned and looked in the tall vanity mirror at herself, then smiled a naughty little smile and pulled open the dresser to pull out a silk satchel that held something very special.

"Oh, I think he's gonna be the one who's surprised this time. He won't be able to resist me..." She said, pulling out the expensive lingerie and holding it in front of her. "Of course, how could _any man?"_ She said, dropping the towel to reveal herself, the sunlight shining from the window and onto her pale, supple flesh.

* * *

The sun weighed heavy in the sky, over a long grassy plain littered with battle wounds, the azure sky was bright and beautiful against the white mountain range in the distance. Three warriors stood on the ridge of a circular concave in the earth, where small Gohan could be heard faintly crying, the pain from having his wrists bound by his own tail almost enough to make him lose consciousness.

"It's ok, Gohan, daddy will be there soon, just hold on!" Goku said, edging forward to the crater where his nemesis stood before. Raditz's black and brown battle armour shone flawlessly under the beating sun, untouched. The large warrior scoffed with disgust.

"_Please_, you're **coddling** the child! The pain will make him tough! If I didn't know any better, I'd say that bawling spawn has more chance of beating me than his own moronic father!" He said, with a scathing laugh.

Goku shook off the insult, only concerned with the welfare of his crying child.

"How could you do such a horrible thing? You _know_ how painful it is to have your tail squeezed! You'll **regret** that, 'brother'!"

Goku said spitefully, his expression stern.

He burst forward quickly and punched Raditz in his sharp angled jaw, causing his head to be thrown back with the force.

Raditz lowered his chin and spat a mouthful of blood on the ground, and spoke, "You put up a proper fight, Kakarrot. Perhaps losing your tail didn't completely kill the Saiyan inside," He grinned, wiping his mouth with the back of his arm.

"I don't care what you say, my home is here on Earth! And my name is Goku!" He shouted back, with one eye swollen shut, clutching a dislocated shoulder. Raditz chuckled, tilting his head forcefully to the side with his large hands, popping the various misaligned segments of his spine back into place.

"Enough talking, and more fighting!" Piccolo growled, and Goku agreed, and got back into a fighting stance. The three crashed together, their movements unintelligible to the human eye.

"Now, _this_ is what I'm talking about!" Raditz said, entertained as they got close enough to one another to grapple. All three, punching and kicking one another in a sheer flurry of vicious blows, at an incomprehensible speed. Grass and dirt flew through the air, with the intense speed and force of the blows.

Goku strained, trying to hold off the inhuman strength of his own flesh and blood, not understanding how he could move so fast and be practically unaffected by what normally would be too much for even him. Piccolo dived in and out of the flurry of limbs, ducking below to beat the larger warrior's stomach, as Goku rammed his fists into his face. Raditz stopped them both with a punch in Goku's sternum and kneed Piccolo in the face.

Although wounded, they managed to wrench out of the close tangle Raditz had them in and they took off, flying. Raditz approached Goku and Piccolo quickly, cackling as he was reaching for their legs. They slowed by a fraction, looking back to see where he had grabbed them by the ankles but he was gone in an instant.

Raditz burst in front of them both, laughing cruelly as his long mane of hair whipped across his face on the furious wind. Goku and Piccolo attempted to evade and Raditz caught them both with both of his feet, kicking them down unmercifully with the dirty move. Goku crumbled to the ground, feeling blood pool in his mouth, his eyes blurry with dirt.

Piccolo stood off to the side, panting and squinting his eyes. _That was fast...! Faster than the speed of sound!_

_"Daddy! Don't hurt my daddy!"_ Gohan cried, Goku looked over, cringing in pain just to turn his neck to the side.

"Gohan...run on home! Don't watch this! Get help from someone!" He groaned, squeezing his eyes shut.

_"No, daddy!"_

Raditz reared back, floating up vertically into the sky. He looked down, grinning maliciously.

"Come and catch me, if you can!" He teased, blasting up into the sky. They propelled after him, not before looking on in horror as he lowered his arms, opening his hands and ruby red sparks suddenly surrounded them, forming into large white ki balls. The air around him crackled, and the massive orbs shot down to the ground with a great rumbling and cracking of earth.

Goku flinched in reaction to hearing Piccolo bellow in pain, as he jerked to the right, dark purple blood spattered from his severed arm. Goku gasped as the heat struck him head on, rocketing at him quickly before he could even blink. Goku fell down to the earth and landed hard on his back, screaming as the scorching heat surrounded, leveling the earth around them both. Raditz chuckled, floating down and observing their struggling on the ground.

"You just don't quit, do you? Face it, even as a child I was training on Planet Vegeta, where the gravity was **much** denser. I grappled with the toughest of the tough alien kind as a small child. Moving here, it's like I weigh as much as a feather."

Goku and Piccolo looked to one another in question. Piccolo nodded, then stood and removed his cape, his turban, and wristbands with multiple resounding thumps.

"Piccolo, you wear weighted clothes too?!" Goku said in surprise, then chuckled softly through his panting, tearing away the torn remnants of his gi. The blue weighted shirt hit the ground with a thud, followed by his armbands and boots.

Raditz's eyes widened as Piccolo and Goku's power slowly began to build back up, to his amazement.

"Hey." Goku winked to the green man beside him. Piccolo blinked back, grunting and they lifted their feet from the ground to speak more privately.

_"Can you still use that special power with one arm?" _Goku whispered.

_"Yeah, that part's okay. But this technique takes quite a bit of time in order to build up enough ki. While I'm doing that, you fight him by yourself, and draw his attention."_ Piccolo said back, lowly.

_"Got it! Will this technique work against him?" _He asked, hopefully.

_"Probably. If this doesn't work, then there's no other way to defeat him. I was saving this in order to kill **you**." _Piccolo responded point blank, lowering his chin and glowering.

Goku raised his eyebrows in surprise, _"And instead, you might end up saving me with it, huh?" _He smiled, with a laugh.

_"If I am able to defeat him with this, then your turn is next."_

_"Is that right?" _He chuckled again.

"This is no time to be laughing, you know." Piccolo said sternly, quelling the laughter with just one hard glare.

"What?! What are you two whispering about? Make it quick, this is a battle, not a social call!" Raditz screamed angrily, steaming at the unbelievable gall of his idiot brother. He let out a heavy sigh, if he didn't finish this fight pretty soon, he wasn't sure he would live to make it back to Lord Freiza. Raditz paused to wipe his brow with a forearm, then glared at the black bracer on his arm. He smirked, turning away from them slightly.

He darted his eyes as the two still conversed, Raditz pulled a syringe from inside his bracer, and pressed the plunger down, injecting it directly into an artery in his throat. He then crushed the glass under his boot. It was enough to get him through this battle regardless of what ailed him. The mixture was made to keep warriors on their feet until they succumbed to their death from the extreme loss of blood due to the inability to feel pain. It would give him a boost of energy, and he could already feel it pumping through his veins.

_I just need a little more time, at least until the others get here; then I can die proud, knowing that I never failed my mission. I will have recovered the last known Saiyan in the universe, and fought until the bloody end._

* * *

Goku and Piccolo floated back down to earth, glaring at him with new confidence.

"Eough idle chit-chat, ladies are you ready to fight or are you admitting defeat?" Raditz said cockily, his eyes following them as they landed.

The green man sneered at Raditz, his eyes full of hatred.

"We're ready to finish this if you are, because as I see it, I bet your younger brother here is strong enough to overtake his elder." He said, grinning. Goku looked at him, startled and grinned back. That gave him just enough confidence to continue.

"Piccolo just may be right, and I'm a betting man as well, let's say you and me take this fight away from Gohan, and I'll show you just how serious I am! I would even bet my life for my son's!" He said, eyeing Raditz hatefully.

"Are you _sure_ it's wise to bet on that, Kakarrot? I am to bring you back to my home base **alive**, you know." Raditz smirked, cracking his knuckles.

Goku responded by smirking back, his ebony eyes glinting with the promise of a challenge. "...If you can survive this battle, then you can drag me home to your home base, but I won't take it lying down. You'll be long dead before that happens."

"Heh. I like your determination. Name the place, and the time, brother."

_I won't lie, my brother is more than strong enough to compete with the best soldiers of Frieza's army, _Raditz thought with pride.

Goku jumped up and they took flight, dashing southward through the sky until they were far enough that he could truly unleash his power without harming Gohan.

* * *

" Ka..me..." Goku rose into the sky slowly, as Raditz stared up at him in amazement, his green scouter lighting with yellow digits.

"Impossible!" Raditz said, stunned. He stepped back a pace, amazed by the digits on the screen rapidly increasing.

"His battle power is rising!" He gasped, as the light spun and grew larger.

"Battle power, 924...925?!" Raditz exclaimed.

"Ha..." The wind rose violently around them, blades of grass and dirt whipping in small tornadoes at the level of power above.

"Me..." Goku felt the power surging through him, ready to erupt.

Raditz turned back, frantic, hearing the resonating sound emanating from the Namekian, who was surrounded by swirling smoke and blue aura.

"T- this one's battle power is now, 1020! U- unbelievable! It's still going up! " He cried out, turning in shock.

"HA!" Goku exclaimed loudly, sending the blast rocketing to the ground with a great gust of wind and an ear piercing sound.

Raditz dodged back quickly then took off running, angrily looking over his shoulder.

"You've got some balls after all!" He growled out, half in admiration, half with agitation. He was dodging to and fro as Goku struggled to alter its path, looking behind his back with fear as it came up behind him and he turned, having no choice but to block it.

_"He **caught** it!?_" They echoed in their mutual surprise.

Raditz put his hands together and dug his heels into the dirt as the power hit him with a blinding white splash. His long hair blew backwards, and he was washed in blue light, clenching his teeth as he felt the sheer power nearly burning his hands.

Piccolo and Goku looked on, hopeful as Raditz's form was lost in the white energy, and it seemed that perhaps this had done it. Then, the light faded, the remnants still flashing in their eyes only to reveal that he still stood there, smiling.

"No... He didn't even get scratched..." Goku said in horror, lowering his hands.

Raditz stood, shaking, his hands frozen in the blocking motion. He looked up to where Goku was in the sky, and sent back a large ki blast at him, viciously knocking him out of the sky. Goku went plummeting down to earth headfirst, and as he landed Raditz came up on him quickly, towering over his beaten, bloody form. He raised a fist in anger, his hand shook with the sheer rage he felt as Goku stared up at him dazedly, then his brother's half-lidded eyes flicked to behind him. Raditz turned to see the Namekian chuckle as his aura grew larger, becoming golden and bright as the atmosphere around them grew darker with the intense power.

"You! You're a persistent one, aren't you?" He muttered angrily, dashing out of the way. Piccolo only grinned as he brought his ki up to the very highest point, sweat dripped from his temples as he bellowed out with the powerful blast. Raditz was startled by the intensity focused in the swirling ki, so concentrated into a corkscrew point that it was surely lethal.

The light became blinding with its final surge, and with a searing strike through the sky, Piccolo and Goku waited for the smoke to clear around the enemy. The smoke slowly dissipated, and to their horror he still stood there, smiling as the beam hit the far mountain beyond where they stood, making a clean, circular void in it.

Raditz looked to the shoulder plate of his battle armour and brushed it off where it was cleanly shattered. His shoulder was burnt and bleeding, but it didn't seem to affect him at all.

"..You pierced through this armor quite easily. I'm impressed..." He smirked, coming closer to Piccolo. Piccolo shuddered with anger, standing from his crouching position.

"I intended to strike you through the **heart**!" He responded, snarling savagely with the sheer rage he felt.

"Oh...? You're playing a hard game now, no more pussyfooting around what you're aiming at. Do you feel the same, Kakarrot...?" Raditz turned to his fallen brother, frowning._ Too bad they have to die now. I was quite enjoying grappling with them._

"This isn't a game! We want you **dead**, Raditz." Goku said, getting to his knees, quivering with the very agony of moving. His eyes were hard and cold with the hatred reflecting there. Raditz was taken aback, he took a shuddering intake of breath then lowered his brow, curling his lip back to bare his teeth, he snarled,

_"I'll send you straight to **hell**! You can **rot** there, for all I care! I have **no** brother! You are not worthy to bear our name, Kakarrot!"_ He bellowed.

With that, Raditz kicked Goku back down to the dirt carelessly, falling atop him and raining heavy blows into his nearly lifeless body, punching him until the reddened skin of his face was burst and bleeding, kneeing him in the abdomen until he was gasping hoarsely for breath.

"Hey! That's enough!" Piccolo growled.

"Oh...? Would you like a turn?" Raditz sneered, turning back to go after Piccolo next. Piccolo nodded to Goku, and he took hold of Raditz's tail and gripped it firmly. He dropped to his knees, weakened.

"W-What are you doing?!" Raditz moaned, cringing.

"This is payback for what you did to Gohan! **Hurts**, doesn't it? How do _you_ like it?" He said, and took both hands and squeezed it tightly.

"Piccolo! Hurry and do that beam thing one more time!" Goku grunted, twisting the squirming appendage in his hands. Raditz groaned, howled with pain.

"You got it! Make sure you keep a firm grip on that tail! I'm limited to only being able to use this technique one more time!" Piccolo panted, returning to firing stance and placing two fingers to the spot.

"K- Kakarrot! Are you planning to kill your _one and only brother!?_" Raditz cried out, struggling to turn and look at him.

"**Shut up**! I told you, you're no brother of mine! You tried to use Gohan as leverage to get what you wanted, not caring how it hurt him!" Goku yelled, then pulled it harder. Raditz fell to the dirt, nearly sobbing with agony.

_"N-no!_ I promise, I didn't mean to hurt the boy! I only had to restrain him for his safety! I'll leave this planet, please, if you would only _let go!"_ He cried.

"Don't be fooled, Son Goku! There's no truth in what he's saying! There's no way he would do that!" Piccolo urged, furrowing his brow as the golden light sparkled at his fingertips.

_"P-please_! Believe me, younger brother! I won't lie, I have done some cruel things up to now, I admit! But I will keep my promise, no matter what!" He sobbed into the dirt, digging his nails into the torn sod.

Goku gulped, his expression conflicted

"You promise...?"

_"Yes! Yes, I swear it, on my honor!"_

"Don't believe his lies for a second! Do not let go of his tail, I'm begging you, Son Goku!" Piccolo swore, frantic.

The tail had already slipped easily through his hands, with Goku's forgiving nature he always tried to see the best in even the worst of villains. Raditz was no different, or so he thought, but he felt his heart aching with sympathy for him. It was impossible that he could be that cold and callous, that there was absolutely **no **love in his heart? Maybe all Raditz needed was to feel a little kindness.

Raditz got to his feet, wrapping his tail around his waist, snickering.

"How **pathetic**! You would _really_ be so naive to allow me to convince you to let go of the only chance you had to defeat me? I take it back, you would be only a burden in our army! Weakness like that is what gets men killed!" Raditz spat, turning to Goku.

"That was a filthy lie you told, Raditz! I can't believe you!" Goku yelled.

"I am _nothing_ like you, my soft-hearted brother! I have no qualms about deceiving another to get what I want! That's the way I had to be if I wanted to **survive**!" Raditz roared, and with that, he began throwing a barrage of white-hot ki balls to the already battered man on his knees. Goku didn't move from his kneeling supplication, he took the blows with a pained expression; a pleading gleam of desperation and hope in his eyes. Raditz squeezed his eyes shut to ignore the conflicting stare that vexed him, only pummeling him harder with a flurry of orbs; until Goku was screaming with agony.

"Yes, _scream! _Beg for mercy!" He cackled harshly, hearing the rising groan of Piccolo charging up his attack in the background.

"Oh, shut up, your turn is next!" He snapped, whipping a few back at Piccolo. He grunted as the balls made purple welts in his flesh, grinding his heels into the ground, Piccolo only charged his attack harder, filling it with his seething wrath.

"It's time for you to die, Kakarrot!" Raditz returned to attack once more; but found himself wrapped in Goku's arms. His eyes widened; startled as he turned them to face the swirling energy of the Namekian who was turning the sky into a dazzling array of violet and golden rays.

_"...W- what? What!?"_ He asked the air sizzling with electricity, the acrid stench of hot sulfur. Raditz struggled to remove himself from the embrace, squirming frantically. Goku knew,_ I have to do this. For Gohan, For everyone, For the fate of the world! _Raditz struggled to move, but damn his hardy bloodline, his younger brother had quite the grip on him.

Piccolo strained, pulsing the power outward, knowing that Goku had chosen his fate already; he was prepared to do what was necessary to kill the enemy Saiyan. Once he had felt that power, and saw how the Saiyan crippled even Goku, he had agreed to assist him just this once, and had decided that if he had to, he would even train Gohan after his father's death in the case the other aforementioned Saiyans arrived.

Raditz grunted, using the last of the adrenaline from the powerful amphetamines injected into his system and moved in just the slightest amount that it was barely noticeable. Piccolo roared as it erupted from him in a dazzling beam of swirling light.

_"Special Beam Cannon!"_

The beam did exactly what was intended, as it made it's high pitched cut through the atmosphere, puncturing both Saiyans with a bright burst of blood; the blood that they had shared now mingling as Goku cried out, falling backwards before Raditz, who stood for a moment and felt his vision growing blurry, then fell as well as his hot blood eked out from the large wound in his chest and all grew dark.

Piccolo stood over them for a few moments, having removed the larger Saiyan off of Goku. He lingered with his eyes shut, trying to sense any lingering traces of ki remaining, even if it were just the smallest spark of light. Raditz's head slumped to the side, the whites of his eyes stark against his dark brows twisted upwards in shock, agony.

He aimed his hand at Raditz, glaring at his lifeless form in anger, wishing to blast his scowling face. But, something in him hesitated, and he lowered his hand.

_There is no point in disgracing the dead._

He didn't hesitate to cover them in soil, and took flight to retrieve the squalling child who screamed in his mind, even as his cries had faded to mere whispers, all Piccolo could hear was his cries for help. The child's power was so desperate to reach the surface, if the child could have been unleashed, perhaps the course of this battle would have changed.

_I'm coming, don't worry child... I won't leave you, I will not forget the promise I made to your father..._

The soil on one of the two graves became indented as Goku's body and soul were transported to the netherworld; by Kami's will. He had a greater purpose to fulfill.

* * *

**K.O! You Win!**

"Yes! Yeah! In your face, Tien! Haha!" Launch jumped up, wiggling her butt in front of his face, he backed up, pushing it away and concentrating so he could see the screen.

"Just you wait, give me **one more **match! I'm gonna beat you again!" She said, clicking the buttons as they chose their characters, grinning.

"You only won twice so far Launch, I got you three times before that!"

The loud arcade music of Street Fighter played as he selected Dhalisim and she picked Guile.

"Oh you're crazy, not this weird dude again!" She snorted, "My guys much better! Hell, I bet in a real match I could beat your ass!" She teased, as the countdown timer went on,

"What!? _You? _**You** don't know anything about fighting!" Tien shouted incredulously, his jaw dropping. Launch dropped her controller and stood in front of him with her hands on her hips, grinning evilly.

"Oh yeah?" Tien's eyes widened as he started backing up on the couch but found himself trapped as she advanced on him, jumping up on his lap and putting him in a headlock. He quickly recounted, throwing her onto her back on the couch and grabbing her sides and squeezing her pressure points. Launch squirmed, squealing, "Not fair, you butt-head!"

He started tickling her, furrowing his eyebrows deviously as she giggled and tried to kick him off, shoving her foot in his face. Tien pulled her leg over his shoulder and leaned down over her until she was crying out, _"Tien!"_ With her face turning red, he let her go and looked confused.

"Are you ok, Launch?" She stood back up, growling with her face still red as a tomato, Tien stood and started backing away, and then she plowed him over onto the floor, pushing on his chest so he would stay down and pinching his nipples. "Ahhhh!" He cried out, all three eyes bugging out, and pulled her hands off and turned her around so she couldn't get him again, holding her by her red suspenders with a smug look.

"Hey!" Launch cried out, only able to scratch her nails across the carpet. Tien took a handful of hair in his hand and leaned forward, chuckling in her ear.

"See, I told you, you don't know anything about fighting!" Launch gasped for her breath, crying out then rubbed her rear against him as she tried to get away and he jerked his back up ramrod straight, feeling something going on downstairs that wasn't appropriate during fighting, he blushed, suddenly letting go of her and put the bowl of popcorn in front of him.

"Uh...woah! Heh heh! I'll come back later, you two, have fun!" Master Roshi said, holding his hand over his mouth and running out of the living room, holding in his snickering until he was back in his own room.

"Didn't think that boy had it in him, jeez! I thought he was taking a vow of chastity or somethin'?"

**Time's Up!** The game announced and Launch sat up and exhaled loudly, wiping her forehead. "Let's do that again!" She chuckled, crawling forward on her knees. "Oh yeah, I forgot I made popcorn!" She said naively, reaching in the bowl and grabbing a handful. Tien gulped, looking down at the bowl then her.

"Uhhh... I need a drink or something, all this is making me thirsty!" He said, then ran out quickly to the kitchen. Launch went to grab the controller to pick her character for the next match, the dust settling from all their horsing around, and gasped as she was getting ready to sneeze, then sneezed loudly; her blonde hair turned blue and she looked at the T.V screen with wide, dark purple eyes.

"Huh?"

* * *

Darkness took him beneath its sultry waves, the cool breath of night breathed a whisper into his subconscious, as he gasped for breath, one arm shooting out from the burial sight of the two Saiyans that had fought, and he began to dig his way out. "_I'm alive.._" he gasped, _"Alive..."_

* * *

"At least let me pack him a lunch, Piccolo! It's not fair, he should be home where it's safe, studying! Not going out into the wildness! He's only four years old! I don't want him to grow up like Goku did!" She snarled, Chi-Chi felt her hands quivering violently as she sat across the table from the green-skinned man, glancing back to the other room where Gohan was sleeping after his long ordeal. She took a quivering sip of chamomile tea, considering all that the man had told her and tried her best to hold back her tears that threatened to burst out. Piccolo stared at her, not touching his tea, he simply gave her an unmoving glare.

"I am taking the boy." Chi-Chi swallowed, feeling the porcelain cracking beneath her hand. "No. You can't! You've taken my husband, and now all I have left to remember him by is Gohan!" She said angrily; tossing the teacup at him. He dodged it with a slight tilt of his head, the cup smashing on the wall.

"You're making this more difficult than it needs to be. Simply cooperate or I will have to do this the hard way." He said with a leveled voice.

"Never." She spat, balling her fists and going into her fighting stance. Piccolo stood, reaching over quickly he went to press the pressure point in her shoulder to stun her, but she quickly gripped his wrist, in order to toss him over her back. "You won't stop me that easily!" She laughed, and Piccolo allowed the flow of motion, rotating his arm around gracefully and landed on his feet softly, never losing his grip on her. Chi-Chi shivered, turning to see him towering behind her.

He frowned, unhappy with what he would rather have not done, and pressed, stunning the woman just long enough to dart in the other room and retrieve the sleeping boy. Chi-Chi gasped as she heard the sound of breaking glass, and stumbled to her feet, toppling over the table and bursting through the door to see him taking flight.

"**No! **You **can't** take my baby! Gohan!" She screamed, running after the shadow over the ground.

"Mommy!" He cried, reaching for her and squirming, his cap falling off and dropping to the ground.

_"Gohan! Gohan! My __baaabyyyy!" _She wailed, dropping to her knees and sobbing, she took his cap in her arms and clutched it to her chest, tears falling and running off the luminous glass of the dragon ball.

* * *

"Hey Babe, you almost ready?" Yamcha said from the other side of the door, making Bulma growl with irritation as she struggled with the clasp on her necklace. "Just a minute, I'm just trying to get my necklace on," She replied, tossing her damp, braided hair over her shoulder.

"Ugh!" He opened the door a crack, knowing not to incite her wrath when getting ready.

"Need a hand?" Bulma dropped her tensed shoulders, laughing at how silly she felt. "Yes. Thank you." She smiled, and turned around towards the mirror as he moved her braid aside and clasped it for her. The necklace hung just below her collarbone, with tiny teardrop rubies that twinkled as they moved. He stroked his hands down her arms, admiring her.

She wore a silky cheongsam dress that was dark royal blue, with tiny embroidered gold reliefs on the edges, coming up to her neck with a buttoned collar and a heart-shaped opening that was sexy enough to show the tops of her bosom, but only just enough that it was in an elegant manner. It came down just above her knees, and split just to mid-thigh with tiny embellished red poinsettia-like velvet flowers that crawled up her hip enticingly. She wore sheer maroon stockings and black pumps as well, with a tiny silver anklet. Bulma thought out every little part of her outfit, As if Yamcha would be examining every inch of my body, she thought sheepishly.

"This is the necklace I got you for our third anniversary." He said sweetly, kissing her on the cheek. Bulma reached and placed her hand on his now clean-shaven jaw and kissed him, pulling him down to her and sighing inwardly as he wrapped his arms around her and returned the warm show of affection. He pulled away gently, taking her hand.

"You look beautiful, Bulma." He said, and she giggled. "You're not so bad yourself! So, what's this surprise you have waiting?" She asked, not hiding her enthusiasm. Yamcha chuckled, "You'll see, come on, let's go downstairs." He replied, and they exited the room, Bulma grabbing her purse and slinging it over her shoulder.

Downstairs, Bunny had already put the bouquet of white lilies he brought in a vase on the table, the heavy fragrance lovely as she took a long inhale of the aroma. "Oh, thank you, Yamcha! They're gorgeous!" She said, and gave him another kiss. He walked her to the door and opened it, revealing the shiny red convertible sitting in the driveway.

"Wow, is that yours?" She awed, it was a classic car too, not a hovercar.

"It works like a dream! Ready to go for a spin?" He said, and Bulma was still trying to get over her surprise, as they walked to sit down inside.

"I have to ask, Yamcha how did you afford this? You know, I would have let you use one of my cars, you didn't have to buy one just to impress me...?" She said nervously, feeling bad that he had done such a thing with barely any income.

Yamcha smoothed the back of his now washed hair that was pulled back in a neat ponytail, laughing uneasily as they pulled out of the driveway.

"Um, _well_ I sorta forgot to tell you I took on a job in East City in between my wildness retreat, I've actually had it a little while." Bulma screwed her eyebrows together, resisting the urge to start screaming like a banshee she just shrugged, saying,

"Oh, that's cool..." While in her head thinking; _Hmmm, well THAT would have been nice to know..._

"So tell me, Yamcha, what _else_ did you do on your retreat?" She asked, narrowing her eyes suspiciously but keeping her tone level.

"Oh, lots of stuff, you know, fishing, hunting, hiking, climbing trees, swimming, uh, just ya know using nature as my guide! I've gotten a lot stronger, you wouldn't believe how hard it is during the winter, that's why I got an apartment out there, just to stay the _really_ cold nights in, and it's a long way from here so I didn't want to bother you." He explained quickly, darting his eyes back and forth as he looked to her and back to the road. Bulma swallowed, her heart feeling lanced,

_**Why** didn't he come home if he was that close, I hate to say it but I was lonely this New Years, with Chi-Chi and Goku already married, having Gohan and he's younger than me! I feel like a **chump**, my boyfriend doesn't even come home for Christmas...And he missed our last anniversary..._

"Well, that makes sense... I can't blame you, it's not like I was begging for you to come back, I've been really busy, Oh yeah, I've been shadowing dad at work, learning all about the business, taking mechanics and engineering, starting the prototype for this new machine that alters gravity, and repairing this crazy spaceship that Chi-Chi found out in the woods! Yeah and I also-"

"Wow, babe, that sounds great, sorry to interrupt but what were you thinking for dinner tonight? I was thinking about just getting a couple slices of pizza and going to the new club they just opened in East City!" She paused her train of thought completely, her mouth snapping shut and teeth gritting together.

"What? No reservations..?" She almost growled, clutching the strap of her Balmain purse so hard it threatened to snap.

"No...I guess I should have been more clear, I thought we could go out dancing, I _was_ hoping you would wear that black little number with the cut out back tonight, I don't want you to ruin your nice dress... On second thought, maybe you should have worn sneakers instead of those high heels!" He laughed, trying to lighten the mood as Bulma felt all the blood in her body rush to her head and felt like she was about to pop. They pulled into the pizza parlor, Yamcha jumped out excitedly, but Bulma still sat there, stiffly.

"What do you want? Pepperoni? Olives? We can get cheesy garlic bread too, I have a coupon!" Bulma put her hand to her forehead, rolling her eyes.

"Uh... Sure, ya know what, I have a capsule of spare clothes in my purse I forgot about, I'll just get changed in the bathroom real quick." She said as she was getting out, feeling totally humiliated.

_You know what, I knew it! I **knew** I shouldn't have got my hopes up, I was just being an idiot to think any better of him!_ She thought, feeling foolish as she ran inside and into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her.

Once inside, she let out all her pent up frustration, kicking over the trashcan and yelling, _"Fuck you, asshole!" _Causing the woman and small child leaving the bathroom stall to stare at her and cover the little girl's ears.

"Oh no, I'm **SO** sorry!" She said, cringing with her hands on her face she ran into the stall and shut the door, leaning up against it with tears streaming out and dripping from her fingers as she wailed into her hands. _You know what, I'm NEVER coming out, he can just go **FUCK HIMSELF!**_

* * *

The dust particles of what was once Planet Arlia settled down in the atmosphere as two white meteorite-like pods raced across space. Vegeta watched; apathetic as they left the vaporized planet in their wake, it was their new objective now to follow Raditz to Planet Earth after hearing his scouter's last recorded log, wherein the events of the battle could be heard and also what sounded like his certain death.

With Kakarrot dead as well, their main objective now was to finish the job that neither of the deceased could achieve, to assess the worth of Earth and it's inhabitants, and if substantial; take it for all its worth.

**If** Earth proved it was worth anything to them, perhaps they'd even consider some small amount of decency, and take into consideration all the Earthlings had to offer. After all, Kakarrot stayed there so long as a deserter, and hopefully for their sake; the same fate would not befall them,for the penalty of all soldiers who abandon post is execution, preceded by torture; of which Lord Frieza would be the one to enact.

_Nothing some **worthless** mud-ball planet has to offer is worthy of exchange for my life, regardless of whether it is only in eternal servitude to a hateful empire..._

Vegeta's chest sunk with a heavy exhale, his tensed expression relaxing, hard eyes closing softly as he fell into suspended animation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N : I figured it would be best to discuss things after the fact, do not read this if you haven't read everything above! ((Spoilers!!)) I want to clarify everything specified above in the ending paragraph just so there is no confusion.1. Vegeta and Nappa do not know about the Dragon Balls!! -- Piccolo Never said anything about them as Raditz was *cough* *cough* dying.2. The Saiyans trip to Earth which originally took 2 years will only take a few days, simply for my convenience and also it fits better In the story that they arrive now and not later. So let's just use our powers of ~Divine Imagination~ to speed up their journey! lol That's all for now! Thanks for reading!


	4. Royally Love Struck

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: Hi! Hope you are all enjoying! Just a warning that there is a mild variety of the citrus content here, perhaps just a slice of lemon. Please, please review and give feedback! :3

**Note: Hi! Hope you are all enjoying! Just a warning that there is a mild variety of the citrus content here, perhaps just a slice of lemon. Please, please review and give feedback! :3**

**Updated: 4/7/20**

**With edits by myself and my beta MarilvyFenta**

* * *

Launch had watched in silent exhuberation as Raditz demolished all his food in short order, besides a small untouched portion. He took a break to breathe and drank half the gallon of orange juice, gulping it down, panting as if he hadn't eaten in months. Well, he hadn't had _solid_ food, if you count the nutrient serum that keeps them sustained during flight.

"Aaahhh... Man, what _was_ that? I've never had such **tasty** food before!" He said, feeling satisfied and belched.

Launch giggled.

"You really like my cooking? Honest? It doesn't make you sick..?" She asked, feeling nervous at the last question. She didn't want to see what would happen if she angered this man.

"Sick? _Ha! _Not likely, girl. My stomach has quite the tolerance. " He said with a laugh. _Oh, he must be like Goku!_ She realized, quickly adding the two and two together. She looked at the food on the tray and licked her lips, squirming.

"What? You're hungry?" Raditz questioned, hearing the audible growl of her stomach.

"Eat."

She looked at him, surprised.

"I can?"

Normally barely anything was left for her, no matter how much she cooked. He rolled his eyes, pushing the tray towards her and laying down.

"Don't be ridiculous. Have your fill, then I should have these bandages changed." He said, putting his hands behind his head. Launch nodded, eagerly taking a bite of pancake.

Raditz yawned, clicking his canines together as he was watching her take tiny bites of food. He found himself smirking with entertainment. His tail weaved out of the blankets and moved contentedly the tip curling and moving around as if exploring its surroundings.

"Tell me your name, girl."

Launch looked up, gulping.

"Um... I'm Launch."

Raditz chuckled at the strange name.

"My name is Raditz." He said, earning the girl's smile as she popped more food into her cheek. "Like a radish?" He frowned, narrowing his eyes.

"What the hell is that?" He snapped, concerned that whatever it was, it was something unacceptable.

"Hmm.. well, it's sort of a bitter tasting vegetable." She responded, shrugging as she nibbled on a slice of bacon.

"Oh. That's of little consequence I suppose. Hurry up and eat, I don't understand why you take so long." He said, almost growling. His wounds were aching, they practically burned.

The girl perked up, "I can eat_ really_ fast! Wanna see?" He gave her a puzzled expression and shrugged. Launch tilted the tray back and let the food slide into her mouth, chewing once or twice in her chipmunk cheeks, then swallowing it all with a feminine gulp.

"But that's not very ladylike." She said, blushing. Raditz observed her in silence, his eyebrows raised in surprise, then he threw his head back and laughed heartily, the sound almost shaking the walls. He looked back down at her, his approving eyes gleaming intensely.

"I like a woman who knows how to eat. It shows that she is not weakened by malnourishment." He said, flicking his tongue across his lips. Launch's cheeks reddened again, her hand curled to her cheek in trepidation. She squirmed, moving her knees and wiggling on the bed. Something about the way he had looked at her made her feel all fluttery inside.

"Come here." He said in a low purr, and her head popped up, curious. Launch crawled towards him, gasping when he lifted her and put her on his lap with a small wince so that he could observe her better. She shivered as he pulled her close and she heard a sharp sniff in her ear, then a hot sigh of breath.

"Mmmm." He sniffed, trailing his nose down her neck, huffing and making low sounds as he did. Launch sat perfectly still, he sounded like a dog examining its meal and she hoped he wasn't still hungry. She jumped when she felt a light tickling sensation across her back, snaking up her nightgown as his devious tail explored.

"Um...Mr. Raditz? Why are you sniffing me?" She asked, her voice trembling. He chuckled softly into her chest where he had planted his nose between her bosom, nuzzling her. Then she felt a hot sensation dragging up from her cleavage to her collarbone, which made her whole body suddenly tingle with excitement. She gasped, her head tilted back. He licked her neck, the vibration of his purr rumbling throughout her body.

"You're covered with the scent of your delicious cooking, and sticky with syrup." He said, concentrating on cleaning her, he licked her chest again and swallowed.

"There. All gone." He nodded, pulling her back to observe her again, licking the remaining flavor from his lips.

"Um...t-thank you..." Launch smiled shyly, not knowing how she should react. He purred deeply,_ "The pleasure's all mine."_ His eyes gazed into hers, unblinking; like dark obsidian with flecks of grey throughout. Launch felt the heat of their bodies together, and his hands still resting on her waist, pulling her gown gradually upwards as his large hands crinkled the delicate fabric.

"I-I'm glad you appreciated my cooking.. um...w-why don't we get your bandages changed now?" She said, inching her way off of him. He nodded, pulling the blanket away and lying still for her to do what she would with him, his arms folded behind his head as he smirked cockily.

Launch gulped as she stood and assessed him, her curious eyes drawn to the very obvious tent in his shorts where something was pushing up against it, stretching the fabric. She licked her lips and squirmed again, feeling an odd warmth in her panties.

Raditz chuckled, "Or are you more interested in_ something **else**?" _Launch startled at his lust-laced words, an electric spike shooting down her spine.

Tearing her eyes away, she ran off to go fetch the items she needed to clean his wounds. She ran into the bathroom and slammed the door quickly behind her, panting, her heart racing wildly in her chest. Launch closed her eyes and breathed shakily, swallowing. She squeezed her legs together, feeling the uncomfortable throbbing there and trying to calm it.

She took a few deep breaths until she was more relaxed and leaned into the tub to fill a basin with warm soapy water.

_I have to concentrate on treating him. He's **just** teasing... and besides...I wouldn't know what to do with a man like him... or... **any** man..._

She blushed, feeling embarrassed of her naivety, because, after all, Master Roshi's perverted gestures and remarks, she had learned a little bit about what men liked, but she herself had never been touched in the way Raditz had, let alone, licked. The thought made her shiver, and she shook her head. _Enough, back to business!_

Launch opened the door with a stern look on her cherub face, her lips turned downwards in a way that was supposed to be intimidating but looked more cute than anything.

"Alright, Mr. Raditz, it's time for your bath. I will have **no more** monkey business from you, understand?" She said, lowering her brows. Raditz had to stifle the laughter attempting to burst through his cheeks in an obnoxious sputter; and nodded, following her with his eyes as she walked to the side of the bed and placed towels underneath him to catch the water.

She encountered his tail and paused, not knowing what to do when it wrapped around her wrist. Raditz smirked and gave her a little tug, sending her into a nose dive into his abdomen. She jumped up, her face flushed red and steamed, making a high pitched squeak like a tea kettle.

_"What did I say! _Keep that thing to yourself, mister!" He withdrew his tail and nodded, a devilish glint still in his eyes. Launch got out a pair of scissors and began cutting away the bandages, pulling them away gently as some stuck to him with dried blood. She looked concerned as the one wound in his chest still wasn't fully healed over. The majority of the cuts and bruises had magically disappeared, to her surprise.

"How...?" She breathed. Raditz stretched, flaunting his body and grinned.

"Little wounds like that take no time to heal, my body is more advanced than the puny humans you're used to. As long as I have proper nourishment, even the most fatal of wounds will be completely gone within a week." He said, proudly.

"Oh, well that's good...But I still have to take care of you until then. Now lie still. And behave." Launch said, bending over to dip the large sponge in the water. Raditz snickered, and flipped the hem of her nightgown up with his tail, revealing her cute white panties with strawberries on them. Launch shot up, gasping and pulled her dress back down.

"You..you..! _GRRR!" _She snarled, baring her teeth. Raditz laughed at the adorable attempt to threaten him she made and coiled his tail back around his waist. Launch stood over him and attempted to appear intimidating.

"Now, **that** was **rude**! How **dare** you!" She squeaked. He just shrugged in response, "You get to see mine, why can't I see yours?" He winked.

Launch blushed and wrung the sponge in her hands nervously.

"I guess that's fair... But you only get the one peek, that's it!" He nodded again, which she was beginning to realize was not a very promising sign.

"Ok. Just relax and I'll do all the work." She said, smiling positively.

"Heh heh, sounds like a good time, sweet cheeks." He said, teasing.

Launch growled again, then took his hand and started scrubbing him furiously, cleaning the back of his arm and the inside, attempted to lift it and couldn't even get it to budge. He just snickered and lifted his arm for her, smiling. Launch washed around his large bicep, marveling at the width of it. She saw him purposely flex as she held him to clean his shoulder off. She almost had to smile at the sign that he wanted her to see his full strength, because even as an invalid this man could probably still blast the room to smithereens while lying on his back.

Launch cleaned beneath his arm and tried not to gag at the potent smell of his hairy armpit and scrubbed it quickly while looking away. Raditz frowned, he didn't want her to think he smelled bad.

"Let me see it, girl." He said, and took the sponge and cleaned the other one so she didn't have to. Launch rinsed it in the basin and returned to work on him again, smiling warmly at him as she lifted his head and washed beneath his neck and behind his ears, then down his throat and collarbone until she reached his chest and carefully washed around his wounds, rinsing out the sponge and working away as Raditz closed his eyes and relaxed as she thoroughly made sure his upper body was clean of all dried blood and dirt. She paused when she reached the band of his shorts, blushing. He put out his hand, wordlessly and she placed the sponge in it and turned away so he could clean himself. Raditz chuckled mischievously, tossing his shorts to the floor. Launch was feeling her face growing hotter as she heard him grunt and lots of bristly sounds like scrubbing hair. Her eyes widened and she covered her face.

"All clean, Nurse Launch." She turned around and he just was lying there, unashamed and fully nude.

She caught just a glimpse of his glistening wet privates and screamed, covering her eyes.

"Cover up, you _PIG!" _He only laid there, hoping she would become curious and peek at him.

"Why? It feels much better this way."

He sighed,

"Feels nice to air out my junk."

Launch growled into her hands.

"That's gross! Put a towel over yourself! Or you can just _stay _dirty!" She huffed. Raditz chuckled malevolently.

"I'll let you have a peek, then we'll be even for earlier. Heh heh."

"I don't want to see!" She responded, afraid to take her hands off her eyes for fear he'd see how red her face was. She only moved one finger in just the slightest and gasped at the sight of him, at the massive erection he was proudly displaying, raised high above his abdomen and taut. Lower down, his testicles were like ripe pears, flushed and rosy. Launch swallowed nervously.

"Do you enjoy the view?" He said, turning on his side so it pointed directly at her.

"_N-no! _I mean, I can't see anything!"

Launch turned back around and shivered, and for some inexplicable reason, she started to cry, feeling tears bursting from her before she could even attempt to stop them. Raditz scented the unpleasant scent of tears in the air, and heard her restrained sobs and pulled the towel over himself, not wishing to make the girl cry any longer. He hated that sound, it practically made his ears want to curl. He licked his lips, furrowing his brow as he thought of the words to say that would stifle her bawling the quickest.

"Hey. I didn't mean to cause you upset, girl... I was just, uh... playing around...?"

He frowned, feeling confused for having misjudged the situation. He could have sworn he scented the little female's delightful smelling arousal, and the way she was washing him in that scrap of clothing seemed like a clear invitation to him.

"Come on. I did not intend to frighten you." He said, softly.

"It's alright now. You can look."

Launch sniffled, "You're not just going to trick me?" She gulped, feeling her tears beginning to quell.

"No. You have my word." Launch sighed, wiping her eyes and turned around. He laid with his arms crossed around his chest, his playful expression now gone.

"Alright. Let's get you cleaned up the rest of the way then." She said, her voice weary. She gave him his bath with no more fuss from him, as she washed his back and legs and he simply lied there pliant for her, not moving in any way that seemed suggestive. Launch bandaged him back up well and by the time he was fully bandaged he had fallen asleep, his head craned back, snoring.

Launch smiled, and reached and stroked his thick mane, forgivingly. She pulled the blanket up over him, then picked up all the dishes and emptied the basin of water and went about tidying up the room and getting dressed for the day. She smiled to herself, thinking fondly of him and his humorous comments, having forgotten her fear and only remembering him as the sweet man who had only wanted to play; like a child. After all, Raditz had never known that joy.

* * *

The dust settled as he walked onward, through the crumbled remnants of skyscrapers; not flinching as pieces of shrapnel creaked and fell around him. Vegeta only continued on, feeling the euphoria of destruction at his fingertips; not caring what was beneath his feet, the fire behind his back casting him in a dark silhouette. He stood upon the cracked glass of a full length window where the fragile human bodies were trapped inside, squirming in a smeared red glass box of their own blood, drowning as it was compacted even more by his weight.

He heard their muffled cries, the squeaking of their clawing fingertips on the glass and looked down and smirked, stomping with a dull crunch of glass and stilling their movement. He turned to observe Nappa, who blasted the shopping district to bits of flying fabric, leveling it to mere crumbled foundation with the golden break cannon that erupted from his mouth.

A section of the city was leveled nearly to the ground where Nappa had let off his first explosive wave, eagerly blasting everything in radius with his brightly lighted laser eyes. Vegeta knew of his purge partner's eager lust for destruction, and he shared in it; perhaps he had even gained some of his sadistic tendencies from him.

Surrounding the concave crash site of their space pods, Capsule Corp made action news helicopters flew far above in the sky, the ones that dared to fly nearer were shot down and hurtled to the ground and caused more chaos, exploding in magmatic blossoms of fire.

_"Good Morning, Central City, Rod Bradley here with Channel 10 News. I'm standing here at the sight of total destruction, today as the sun rose over the horizon two alien spaceships crashed like meteors into East City, where as I speak, two men with immense superhuman power shoot down buildings like nothing but toy blocks! Watch as I get closer, and try to get a word in as to why these aliens have landed!"_

An either very brave or very suicidal news anchor screamed over the blasts, his tie flapping on the breeze as he snuck closer to the fading light of the blasts. Bulma flew down on her red motorbike, picking him up by his tie as he scrambled to get away.

"Hey, you're interrupting the broadcast of a lifetime here! Put me down! Don't you know I'm Rod Bradley?!"

She tossed him onto the back of her bike, lowering down towards safety and he jumped off, shaking.

"I don't care who the hell you are! You need to stay away, this area needs to be under strict quarantine! This isn't the time for investigative journalism!" She yelled, blasting away towards the other helicopters, signaling to them to get back. "These freaking idiots are gonna get themselves killed! As if it's not bad enough already!" She said angrily, her words curling up with a sob.

"All the destruction, all the lives carelessly thrown away! Don't they have any humanity at all?!" Bulma shook her fists, tossing her head back as tears fell from her visor, and choked back a sob of grief.

"I wish Goku was here! He's the only one who could stop these guys!"

_Why did I say I wanted to work on that dumb ship yesterday instead of seeing my oldest friend?!_

More explosions shook the ground as she flinched back, tiny rocks peppering her arm as she shielded her face.

"Alright. I've had enough! I won't stand for it." Bulma swallowed down her fear, although she was shaking like a leaf, she had her own technology to back her up, it hadn't failed her so far and it wouldn't now. She turned on the dashboard's control panel, lit up with green lights and set her turret to heat-seeking.

"Those guys want to keep blowing stuff up, I'll blast them right back! They won't even know what hit them!" Bulma cranked the lever and took off back into the sky, kicking on the nitrous thrusters with a blue blast of energy propelling the bike, her long braid of turquoise hair lashing behind her.

* * *

"Um, I think you guys should see this." A small timorous voice said, as Tien and Krillin were about to head out the door to start training for the day.

"What is it, Chiaoutzu?" Krillin asked.

"Look on T.V." He said, pointing. They walked into the living room and watched the news report, before Bulma swept the news reporter up and they showed aerial shots of the damage, zooming in on Vegeta and Nappa. There was a clip of Nappa flipping off the camera before punching it and static went over the screen.

"Oh no... There's more of them?" Tien said, his face growing wrought with fury as they showed all the destruction, all the lives estimated to be lost. Krillin looked pale, his eyes widened in horror.

"This is...This is horrible..."

The Army General and Captain of the Navy came on the screen,

_"We are gathering all our troops at this time to battle this act of terrorism, whether on the ground of our great country or in the sea, we won't allow our people's lives to be lost without **vengeance**!"_

"No.. They'll all be killed... It's _suicide!" _Tien shouted.

"What are we gonna do?!" Krillin cried out, placing his face in his hands.

"...I'm afraid there's not much we can do, boys. It's Goku. He died last night fighting the Saiyan, Raditz. Piccolo informed Chi-Chi last night..." Master Roshi said, his head was lowered and his sunglasses were in his folded hands behind his back.

Krillin and Tien turned, with a look of stunned disbelief that faded into sorrow. "It can't be.. if Goku is gone, we can't fight.. We already were resurrected once by the Dragon Balls..." Krillin said, tears flowing from his wide eyes. Master Roshi placed his hand on his shoulder and Krillin cried for his long-time friend.

Tien looked on with a stony expression, and rested his hand on Krillin's shoulder as well. _I will do what I have to. That's what Goku would have done..._

"I guess you guys have already heard the bad news, " A small voice came from behind, as Puar flew into the room with Oolong in tow.

"Yeah. It looks bad. But we're just going to have to be brave and do what's necessary." Tien said, swallowing.

* * *

"This is getting _boring_, Nappa. These Earthlings don't even attempt to defend themselves." Vegeta scoffed, stepping out of a pile of smoking debris.

"What should we do with them, boss? You think Lord Frieza would like this planet?" He said, strolling over a flattened object that had once been a car with passengers in it.

"Perhaps. They seem slightly advanced, though. Maybe they have technology that could be useful to us. I'd also like to know where that distress call came from before." He said, turning his head and going to blast at an erratically driving vehicle, but not before he heard the _rat-a-tat-tat_ of an automatic weapon aimed directly at him. The bullets came at his hand where the ki ball was still forming, and exploded on impact.

"What the.." He turned, and saw the vehicle hovering above him, and the girl perched on it.

"What do you think you are doing?" He snarled, turning the ball of ki onto her.

"I wouldn't fire that, if I were you." A scratchy, sultry voice said from above in a warning tone.

"Oh, and why shouldn't I?" Vegeta smirked, pulsing it and enlarging the sphere. "Because, my weapon senses the heat from your hand, and if you aim that at me it's going to blast right back into your smug little face!" She yelled back, tightening her grip on the turret's aim. Vegeta chuckled, "How about we give it a try, and see exactly what happens."

"Prince Vegeta, are you sure that's wise-" Nappa began in a hesitant voice.

"_Shut up, Nappa! _Don't you want to see how my little experiment goes?" He smirked and turned towards Bulma.

"Let's have your best shot, woman, and I might not totally incinerate you." He said, shrugging.

Bulma scoffed, "Ok, but it's gonna be your funeral." She watched as he began to enlarge the ki ball even further, his expression smug as the turret began to pulse, each bullet tearing from the barrel at lightning speed, the thrust of it shaking Bulma's arms as she held the scope steady, gritting her teeth with frustration as the bullets simply disappeared in the brilliant white light surrounded by a purple aura. His blast grew larger, swallowing the bullets as they pumped mindlessly into it, exploding on impact.

The blast blew outward, swirling with fire and licked at the turret, before Bulma could react it blew up the turret, then her bike began to smoke from the engine compartment; and she jumped off, quickly before it exploded as well; cowering on the ground shielding herself from the heat of the blast. Her helmet was shattered protecting her skull, then fell away in pieces. The frame of the bike bounced off the ground and landed on her, trapping her beneath.

Vegeta scoffed, brushing off the few bullets that managed to lodge into his white breastplate.

"Well, there's one hunk of junk that we don't need to bring back home. It's laughable." Nappa said, and Vegeta agreed. "Nice try, but no luck. Seems I'm not impressed." He snorted, crossing his arms. Bulma lifted her head and snarled at him, Vegeta only lazily stepped toward her, observing her struggling with a look of entertained sadism. Bulma grunted, pushing up against the frame and cried out, giving in to her fear she looked up to him with tears in her eyes and swallowed, awaiting some type of response from him.

"Well, I'm almost dissatisfied that you're going to die now. It was quite fun testing your little theory." He said, holding his hand out to blast her. Not a second later, Bulma started to scream, her voice hoarse and grating in his ears. Vegeta cringed, gritting his teeth.

"Stop that confounding noise, woman!" He covered his sensitive ears, crouching in pain. Bulma only continued to scream, like a helpless animal trapped in a wolf's den, she was blinded by her fear, her mind going blank with her sheer terror.

Vegeta knew this, and kicked the shell of the motorbike off of her, hoping it would make her quit. Bulma panted, feeling her throat that was raw and gazed up at him, up his stout; muscular legs, the gleaming golden armour almost like a samurai's, his white breastplate, the sharp edges of his appearance shadowed over her. Bulma felt violated at the way his eyes were traveling over her body, widening as he observed her royal blue Chinese dress, with red poinsettias, the jewelry, the way she wore her hair...

_She couldn't be...! Impossible!_

He kneeled down, and Bulma shivered violently as he felt the fabric between his fingers, clarifying that it was of good quality, then inexplicably; a dazed look cast over his features and he felt her necklace, turning the small rubies between his fingers.

"Redonite." He whispered, then moved his white-gloved hand to her chin, turning her face and inspecting the way her cheeks were pale and free of blemishes, a sign that she was of nobility.

Bulma felt her heart nearly bursting from her chest and seizing with terror as he reached around and picked her up, into his arms like a precious bride, staring down at her quizzically. Nappa walked over and rubbed his goatee as he too seemed very interested in her.

"Hmm. Now that's interesting. What will you do with her?" Vegeta swallowed, hearing the sound of helicopters in the distance.

"I have to get to safety; then, I will come for her later." He said, taking flight.

"Where is your domicile, princess?" He said, looking around for a large castle. Bulma lifted one brow in confusion, then smiled as the gears turned in her mind. "This way," She pointed, towards West City. He levitated higher and saw the domed white building and nodded curtly, as if in approval and clutched her closer to him protectively as he increased his velocity.

Bulma clung to him; frightened as the wind whipped her hair and cradled her face into his throat, feeling his hot breath in her ear and smelling the warm, musky scent of his perspiration. Before she knew it he had landed at the entrance, and set her down gently. Bulma was stunned as he took her hand and kissed the back of it softly, gazing at her with those ebony eyes aflame.

"Stay here where it's safe, I will be back later. Do not worry, you will come to no harm in my care." He suddenly knelt, his head bowed.

"Prince Vegeta at your service. My apologies, princess. Had I known you were of royal blood, I wouldn't have harmed a single hair on your beautiful head." He said, clenching his jaw.

He hated speaking in such a formal way, but seeing a woman draped in royal garb with no guard to speak of; he felt almost drawn to use his position to protect this gem of the blue planet. He himself would be too good to mate with her, too proud to admit that her comely appearance and her bravery left a remarkable impression on him.

_If I were not so weakened by the sight of her in the near spitting replica of my mother's gown, I would still have thought her as such...Shameful._

Bulma trembled, as she felt her cheeks growing hot from the image of the man kneeling down before her, at her command.

"Y-you are forgiven, your highness...I t-thank you for your service... "

Vegeta stood, giving her a nod of approval and propelled himself upwards, and Bulma could only drop to her knees and stare to the sky in shock.

* * *

Launch hummed as she carried the laundry basket to the washer, swaying her hips as she happily emptied the basket. She was wearing white shorts with red suspenders and a dark blue babydoll tee, that bared her navel. Her matching blue hair was parted into low fluffy pigtails, with red bows.

_I better wash Raditz's shorts so he has something to wear! _She blushed, thinking of the sight of his naked body and giggling at the memory of those adorable firm butt cheeks with dimples in the sides, his tail attempting to bashfully censor himself.

_Or maybe we won't, and **say** we did..._

A tiny blonde devil's voice whispered in her head, but Launch didn't hear her as she was busy humming and sorting laundry.

She laid the shorts out and noticed how they had multiple tears and set them aside to sew them first before washing them, reaching up for the box of powdered laundry detergent and missing, clipping it with her fingers and sending the box falling off the shelf and onto the washer with a puff of white powder.

"Whoopsie! _...ah..ah..choo!"_ She sneezed, and shook her head, blinking with sharp emerald eyes.

"What the hell?" The blonde Launch said, wiping powder from her perky chest and huffing.

"What the heck!" She said, frustrated with how everytime she woke up, she found herself in the middle of doing something stupid like washing dishes or dusting.

She knew her other self must have been doing laundry and put the rest of the clothes in the washer, swiping the spilled powder into the washer. Launch picked up the large black shorts with caution, holding them in front of her between two fingers as if filthy, accidentally catching an intense whiff of manly essence. Her cheeks flared up bright red and she tossed them in, slamming the washer lid closed and turned it on.

"I ain't no freakin' maid!" She grumbled, feeling hot and bothered, she sauntered off to go find Tien with a sneaky grin on her face, fluffing her hair and swaying her hips.

She wasn't shy in the slightest, Launch was open with _exactly_ what she wanted and that was a _certain_ three eyed man. She came out into the kitchen and frowned, seeing it was all clean and there was no sign of him, she walked into the living room and that was empty too.

"I know! He's probably training!" She giggled, thinking of the sight of him training with his bare chest glistening with sweat. "I'll bet he's thirsty!" She said, excitedly and ran into the kitchen.

* * *

He panted, hovering in the air as he and Krillin battled, dodging his Destructo Disk and swiping it back at him with a chop of his hand, sending Krillin running as it sliced the ground beneath him. Tien tented his hands and strained, doing a less fatal version of his Tri-Beam that he had been training to build his body's resistance up to, to the point that it no longer made him weakened. It still made him tired, though, and he lowered down and breathed, pausing the fight as Krillin panted hard with his hands on his knees.

"We've gotta get tougher than this! Don't go easy on me, Tien! I can handle it." Krillin said, frowning as he knew he had intentionally missed him where the diamond shape was in the ground beside him. "We're only human, Krillin. Unfortunately, we don't keep getting stronger the harder we get beaten, unlike Goku. I wish that was the case, but harming one another purposely will only make us weaker. We just need to hone our skills to perfection." He said, straightening. Krillin nodded glumly, in agreement.

"The Saiyans destroying the city are like Goku. They very well may be just as strong if not stronger than him... but that's not going to dissuade us." Tien said, walking towards Krillin and helping him get to his feet.

"Just thank Kami the moon isn't around anymore, boys, or we'd have two giant apes to deal with!" Master Roshi interjected, nodding wisely. "Right!" Krillin said, wiping his dotted brow.

They heard the door swing open and Tien turned his head, feeling his stomach churn excitedly at seeing Launch walk toward him with a bashful smile. She carried a tray with a pitcher of Iced Lemonade and glasses for them. She poured him a glass and thrusted it into his hand with a brave expression. Tien took it gladly and downed half the glass, sighing.

"Ah, that really hits the spot, Launch! Thank you." He smiled, and Launch did as well, batting her eyelashes at him and wriggling her shoulders nervously. _She looks...even **cuter** with her hair like that.._ He caught himself thinking, and laughed doofily, his eyes gazing into hers. Krillin reached up to the tray, jumping and grunting as she held it up higher.

"Hey, what about me!?"

Tien snapped out of his trance and blinked. "Oh, can Krillin have some too?"

Launch growled, lowering it and made the little baldy a glass too, as well as Master Roshi and Chiaoutzu and Oolong until it was almost gone. She sat in a beach chair fanning herself as they got back to training, pretending to tan her long, trim legs as Tien started doing his stretches, balancing on one leg and doing his crane rotations.

_She's going to sit and watch me!?_

He thought, swallowing. Launch sighed and sipped her lemonade, lying on her stomach observing him dreamily with her chin in her hands. Tien sighted her from the corner of his eyes and puffed his chest up larger, for some odd reason he felt like he had to do his best to look good for her.


	5. Battle of The Great Blue

Smoke billowed out over the horizon of the city as he returned, hearing the rumble of the Army's quickly approaching tanks, Vegeta and Nappa hovered before the outskirts of East City, awaiting their arrival calmly.

"Don't make a move unless I do, understand?" Vegeta said, his voice level and calculated.

"Understood," Nappa said, nodding. Nappa had already had his fun, destroying the entire aerial force the weak Earthlings had presumed to attack with, and completely decimating a neighboring town. Through all this though, his bloodlusting partner hadn't broken a sweat.

Vegeta clicked the button on the side of his red scouter, scoffing.

"The power level of this army is abysmal." The tanks rolled to a stop, and the Army General stood atop the central tank ready to signal to start shooting, when Vegeta lowered himself, slowly, landing on the lip of the cannon's barrel. The General pulled out his rifle, holding it at the ready.

_"Stand down, alien **scum**!" _He shouted, his weapon quivering in his grip.

Vegeta strolled forward, placing one white boot before another as he came down the barrel.

"I have met with your Princess. Has she not called off her forces? I'm willing to call it a truce if _you_ will stand down, otherwise... You can start counting your losses. We will **not** be defeated. " Vegeta said, extending one hand to shake on it. The General laughed, only raising his weapon.

"I'm not afraid of your little threats. It's two of you against all the forces of our great country! I won't make peace with a _terrorist!"_ He screamed, and began blasting Vegeta in the chest with his gun. Vegeta held his arms crossed before him in a protective block; the bullets falling to clink uselessly on the roof of the tank. He bared his sharp canines and rumbled low in his chest.

"Fine, have it your way. You have signed your _death warrant!" _He snapped, and jumped up and snatched the rifle from the general's hands; bending it, he crushed it into a ball and tossed it down.

The General gasped, and raised his arm to signal to fire. Vegeta stepped forward, and took his arm and twisted it behind his back, forcing him to face his own army as he struggled.

"...I'll give you **one** last chance, **only** because I don't wish to betray my oath to your superior. **Do. You. Stand. Down?" **He asked callously, feeling the fragile earthling's arm ligaments snapping at his touch, the General screamed, "**_Fire! FIRE YOU FUCKING FOOLS!"_**

He screamed, waving his free arm and signaling the O.K. Vegeta smirked, feeling a wave of adrenaline rush through his veins, and gripped his other arm behind his back, pulling down quickly he dismembered the general, stomping on his back he propelled himself upwards to the sky and lowered his glare to the many cannonballs coming his way.

"You ready, Nappa?" He said, feeling his large presence behind him.

"Ready, Your Highness."

They held their arms out, ready to block any incoming blasts, and as the cannonballs arched down, Vegeta lifted himself up, and swung his arms quickly, batting away the blasts and sending them back towards the tanks before they could even reload, while Nappa blocked the projectiles on the other side.

"Not a chance!" He yelled, then laughed as he used his thick arms and legs to block the blasts, sending them back as well.

The tanks began to explode, like a domino effect they set eachother off after the first row was hit by its own cannons, and in a great mushroom cloud of molten fire, the entire army was decimated, reduced to blackened ashes as Vegeta observed with a look of disgust, at the sheer destruction these Earthlings had been too proud to avoid. It was pathetic.

"Pitiful, isn't it?" Nappa scoffed, spitting.

Vegeta turned away, "I'll never understand the ways of these humans. They had all the opportunity to save themselves, and yet they practically **asked** to be slaughtered. Not that I mind." He gave a harsh laugh, and they flew off towards the sea, shaking their heads in disbelief.

* * *

She had fallen to her knees, staring up at the sky where the man had disappeared to, for a long while Bulma was in disbelief, until her father came out and tapped her on the shoulder, and all Bulma could do was cry inconsolably for an endless amount of time, even after he walked her inside and laid her down on her bed to rest Bulma still sniffled, waking up from a fitful rest she opened her eyes, staring at the ceiling of her room as If trying to discern if this was reality or a dream

_I... survived... _Bulma had been sure that when the alien prince aimed his killing hand at her, that it was the end, she had gone into a state of shock. Although now, as she sat up in bed she looked around herself in wonder, staring at the framed photo of her and Yamcha from so long ago taped to her vanity, from when he was still a desert bandit and she was a blushing teen; she made a soft scoff. _That was so long ago. At least a decade ago._ Bulma sat up, stretching, still wearing the crinkled dress.

_I'll have to take this to the dry cleaners, after all that..._ She thought, touching her neck where the man had touched the rubies, and stared at her with that far away gaze. He frightened her, but he also had shown a sliver of life within those cold, black slate eyes. Bulma shivered, and stood up from the bed and unzipped the dress, allowing it to fall around her ankles, stepping out in the lacy red teddy she'd put on underneath to surprise Yamcha with.

She scoffed, touching the delicate fabric. They hadn't even made it farther than the car before he'd started saying all the wrong things... Bulma grimaced, and gripped the strap of her teddy in her hand and tore the fabric easily, the lace ripped down her middle and her breasts pooled to the center, free from the restraining fabric. She pulled her hair free, allowing the curls from the braid to cascade over her shoulders.

She sighed, and threw the teddy and maroon stockings now full of holes in the trash, going to her dresser she put on a comfortable white sports bra and matching Tommy Hilfiger panties, and pulled on a simple black t-shirt and blue jeans, not feeling up to dolling herself all up just to stay home and mope around.

Bulma walked downstairs, hanging her head she turned and stood in the kitchen, smelling something so heavy it almost smelled like urine, and saw the wilted lilies still sitting on the table. She frowned and picked up the vase, going over to the sink she turned on the garbage disposal and shoved the flowers in, swearing as they were shredded to bits.

Her mother came up behind her, looking on in wonder.

"Why did you throw out the flowers from Yamcha, dear?" She asked innocently, her red painted nails to her chin in surprise. "They **reek**. And I don't want to hear that name, _not ever!"_ She shouted, her anger quickly melting into sorrow, her shoulders quivering as the sobs began wracking through her.

"Oh honey, come sit down and you can tell me all about it. I'll make you some of those yummy Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato sandwiches you like and we can just_ pig out,_ how's that?" She walked her over to the couch and sat her down, and ran to the kitchen to start getting everything ready.

"Thanks Momma. I missed you." Bulma said, taking a tissue and dabbing her eyes.

"Oh, your friend Goku's wife Chi-Chi called, she sounded _really_ upset. I think maybe you should give her a call.." Bunny yelled from over the sound of sizzling bacon.

Bulma looked on with an expression of dread. "She did...?" Her heart dropped into her stomach. Bulma was almost afraid to call, she feared for the worst.

"Yeah, _and_ she said her little boy went off training with that green man!" Bulma frowned, she didn't really know Chi-Chi that well but that didn't seem like her idea. She picked up the receiver and dialed Chi-Chi, gulping.

"Hi Chi-Chi...

Yeah, this is Goku's friend, Bulma...

No, I didn't, uh...

I wasn't home last night...

Oh...h-he did..? "

She curled over on the couch, clutching her violently rolling stomach and squeezing her eyes shut as she listened to Chi-Chi's tearful story, and felt like things couldn't get any more horrible than they were right now.

* * *

Chi-Chi hung up the phone softly, as to not crack the receiver, and sunk to the wall, pressing her forehead to the cool plaster. She squeezed her eyes shut and sobbed, covering her eyes. Her shoulders shook as she let out all her grief, as she had done so many times since last night. It seemed like it would never get easier, she could only be reminded of her little family that was now missing whenever she looked around the house.

Chi-Chi straightened, wiping her eyes with her arm and walked slowly to the table and picked up the discarded cap that her little boy had worn. She stroked the brim, admired the luminous Four Star ball on the top, removing it easily, she admired it in the light. _These... grant wishes... _She thought, and curled her hand to her chest, tilting her head, her raven hair falling over her pale cheek and pressed the cool glass to her other cheek. She was reminded how Goku had told her he cherished the Four Star ball, and how he had naively thought that his grandfather Gohan somehow lived in the ball. She smiled, laughing softly.

No matter how often she scolded Goku for his innocent mistakes, she had fallen in love with him regardless. Chi-Chi stood, slipping the ball into a pocket of her purple cheongsam dress with light blue pants. She picked up her pack with some essentials in it, sheathing a small katana at her waist and hooking a frying pan to the pack, for _cooking_ of course. She smirked, turning to look at her house one last time and locked the door behind her.

She wasn't going to sit idly by while everyone waited for Goku to come back. Master Roshi had informed her that he would have to make the long journey down Snake Way in order to come back, which could take months, or years. No, Chi-Chi had another idea. She was going to have those balls ready for her little boy, because when he came back home, he was never going back out into the wilderness. She would wish for Gohan to be just a normal, human boy. No more adventures, no more death in their future. She was sure of it, she nodded, as she walked down the long beaten trail towards the city.

* * *

"Get out of the way!'" The ogre on a street sweeper screamed, as Goku dodged back and forth in front of him. He couldn't get around, or under for that matter. He was knocked off-kilter as the driver turned the wheel erratically, and knocked Goku off the narrow path. He gripped the edge of the concrete, his fingers being brushed off by the sweeper, he fell through the clouds.

Goku fell to the ground, brushing himself off, he propelled back up and scrabbled for the clouds but just couldn't reach far enough to get to the bridge. He dropped back down, allowing himself to fall and looked around at his surroundings questioningly. He walked around the odd apple orchard, looking for anyone who could direct him to where he was supposed to go to get back up. The guide from before was nowhere in sight.

Then, he heard yelling in the distance.

"Hey! You said it was _my_ turn to throw the ball!" Goku smiled, at the idea to play a game piquing his interest, he walked over to the center of the field where two ogres argued over the large medicine ball between their bulky arms.

"You already lost the one we had before! I _just_ got this ball, Goz!" The Red Ogre with glasses said, snatching it from the large Blue one. Goz wrestled the ball away, and threw it up into the clouds so high that it didn't come back down, and Mez groaned with frustration.

"Now what'll we do!"

Goku watched as the ball eventually fell back down, and they chased after it to go fetch it, struggling again over who got to throw it.

_"My ball!"_

_"No, MY ball!"_

Goku came up behind them and tapped one on the shoulder.

"Hi, can I have a turn?"

They both turned around, startled by the spiky-haired man with a halo in a bright orange and blue gi.

"Oh.. uh, what are _you_ doing down here?" Goz said. They both wore muscle shirts that read Hell on them.

"Uh, I fell!" They looked at him up and down and Mez rubbed his chin.

"Any chance you're that one hero from Earth we heard about who's on his way back to the surface?"

Goku nodded brightly, "Oh, right! I have to go down _Cake Way!"_ He said, eagerly licking his lips at the idea of a path lined with delicious cakes.

"You mean _Snake Way?"_ Goz said, pointing up at the clouds above.

Goku narrowed his eyes, thinking.

"Yeah, that's it! Snake Way!" The ogres looked to each other, shrugging.

"Well, once you fall, there's not much getting back up. You don't want to stay here, in Hell."

"I have to get back to Earth! I'm worried that something really bad is going on there! But first, I have to go to see King Kai!" Goku remembered how Raditz had threatened that there were others like him coming to avenge him, and Goku didn't even want to think how much more horrible they could be. He looked to the large brutes, and to the ball.

"I have an idea. You guys are pretty strong, do you think you could throw _me_ up there?" He said, pointing. The two looked at each other, shrugging.

"Um, I suppose." Mez said, nodding.

"Let me do it!" Goz yelled, jumping up excitedly.

"Ok, can you just try to aim up, _really_ far?" Goku said, and Goz nodded eagerly.

"Ok!" He then took Goku over his shoulder, Goku rolled into a ball and cringed as he propelled up at an incredible speed, then bonked his head off the bottom of snake way and fell dazedly to the ground like a crinkled piece of paper.

"Oops, you alright little buddy?" The Ogre said, helping him to his feet.

Goku rubbed the bump on his head, and looked at the both of them.

"How about you _both_ throw me this time, and aim a little to the left, I'll bounce back once I get up there!" He said, chuckling sheepishly. They lifted him up together eagerly, raised him on their shoulders and Goku straightened with his arms out as they zipped him off into the sky, back up into the clouds.

"Thank you!" He called, waving, and the two waved back at him as he came over the clouds and could see Snake Way.

* * *

Gohan stared down the sheer mountainside, gulping at the great distance he had to get down. He had miraculously jumped up here after being chased by a T-Rex, then realized he couldn't get back down. He looked up to the green-skinned man sitting nearby on a tree branch.

"Can't you just fly me down, Mr. Piccolo?" He whined, staring with large puppy dog eyes. He shook his head.

"You got _up_ here, that means you can get back _down_." He snarled, crossing his arms and staring out at the vast forest. Gohan gulped, looking down. His tail twitched nervously as he walked towards the edge. Piccolo smirked, plucking an apple off the tree with a devilish glint in his eyes. Gohan tiptoed forward, thinking maybe he could climb back down carefully.

Piccolo swung the apple and popped him strategically in the back, causing him to stumble forward, screaming. He paused midair, moving his arms as if trying to swim and then dropped, wailing, his fear causing his ki to flare and it assisted him, helping him to glide gradually down to the next summit. He jumped up and down happily.

"I did it! Mr. Piccolo, I flew! I flew!" He said, looking up for approval. Piccolo floated above, breaking his stern expression with a small smile.

"See, you didn't need me. You already know how to fly." He said, feeling relieved that the boy had finally gotten over his fear and perhaps now he could find his way back down on his own.

Gohan looked down, and hopped again, no longer frightened, clinging onto a dangling tree branch with his tail and landing safely to the next drop. He was a natural, his saiyan instincts were ingrained into him perhaps even more than Goku's at such a young age. Piccolo slowly disappeared behind the bushes as Gohan happily hopped down the mountain in record time, cheering happily as he did. _He will be ok. He has his father's spirit._

* * *

A beast stirred, grunting and snuffing hungrily as the tantalizing scent of grilled meat wafted in from the window.

Raditz sat up in bed and licked his lips, his stomach growling loudly.

"Where is that girl? Doesn't she know that I require sustenance at the very least,6 times a day?" He growled, struggling to get out of bed. He got one heavy leg off the mattress, feeling the pain shoot through it he screamed, howling so loudly tears wet the corners of his eyes.

_"Fuck!"_ He grimaced, slowly lifting his injured leg back up and panting with the exertion.

_"Launch!" _He shouted, feeling shamefully weak, sweat beading his brow. He lifted his tail and wiped the sweat away easily. Then, he glared up at the long, squirming, furry appendage and grinned. His _tail_ didn't hurt, it had been completely unscathed in the battle as it was wrapped safely around his waist.

"Well, well, seems this thing is good for something besides lifting skirts after all." He chuckled, stretching it out to its full length and testing its strength. He curled the tip around his battle armour on the floor, lifting it up where the beam had made its jagged hole he weighted it up easily with his tail, and glanced to the open window with a sparkling glint of deviousness in his eyes.

* * *

Master Roshi hummed happily as he manned the grill, flipping the hamburgers and turning over the hot dogs with skill. He was, after all, _Grill_ Master Roshi as he liked to call himself, as he sat down in his lawn chair and popped the top off a fresh bottle of beer.

"Ahh, nothing like some good food and a few cold brews on a hot summer day! And, _bikini-clad babes!" _He chuckled, pouring his beer down the hatch as his eyebrows raised to watch Launch, Tien and the others taking a little swim break to relieve all the tension and unwind after a long afternoon of training.

With all the horrible news on the television, and Goku's sad demise, they all agreed that maybe a barbeque would be nice to have, like they always did during the summertime. Yamcha had finally shown his face, and after a hard two-on-one battle with Krillin and Tien his head was pounding, so he figured why not have a little hair of the dog to soothe his lingering hangover.

_"Hey, I don't like getting wet!" _Puar squeaked, hissing as he scrambled away from where he, Chiaoutzu and Oolong were building a sandcastle.

"Oh, don't be such a pussy, Puar!" Yamcha laughed, slurring and spilling his beer on himself as he laid in the surf in his swim trunks.

"I **am** a pussy! A pussy_cat!_ But not the kind _you_ like, you _heathen!__"_ He growled, his fur puffing up as he licked his back and shook off.

"You need to lighten up! Have a drink!" Oolong said, leaning over and nearly knocking over the sandcastle as he slurped his beer sideways and burped. Krillin pulled Yamcha up and dragged him to the shore. "Come on, Yamcha.." He said, his face downcast.

"You guys should really slow down on the drinks," Tien said from over in the water as he was showing Launch the new Tai-Chi move he'd recently mastered.

Launch agreed, she had a few beers but she could control herself. She wouldn't be a sloppy drunk in front of Tien, she may not have been the picture of a lady but she could hold her liquor. Launch played with her blonde pigtail as Tien returned to showing her the move, wearing only his soaked green swim trunks.

She couldn't help but let her eyes travel to the noticeable bulge there as he was distracted, showing her each move with excruciating detail. Launch had zoned out, blushing as she reached over and played with the strap of her yellow bikini top. Then she had a_ delightfully **evil**_ idea to distract Tien from his concentration, and smirked as she tugged on the tiny bow.

* * *

The entire naval submarine army was submerged on the opposite shore of the ocean, as Vegeta and Nappa sat in wait. The navy captain paced back and forth, watching in frustration as the submarine's radar struggled to pinpoint the location of the enemy ship.

"We're ready, _fire the torpedoes!_ The transmission had to have come from the north, the last blip placed their power reading at the North Gulley!" He said, swallowing. They hadn't been able to locate the alien's exact position, or any type of enemy ship at all. They kept receiving taunting calls that made his blood boil.

Static rang out over the deck's speakers, then a gruff chuckle.

_"Don't tell me your torpedo is shy, or is it simply so inadequate you pre-ejaculated your missile?" _Vegeta's snarky voice teased, and the Captain bellowed in rage, grabbing the microphone and screaming into it.

"You'll see how inadequate it is when it's blasting through your ballasts, space trash! This is **our** sea! You're talking to the Captain of the Navy, boy! I _live_ in this water, _hell, _my ship has seen twenty-five tours of battle in its time, and it **won** those battles!" He bellowed, slamming down the microphone and shattering its base in his anger.

"Fire, private! _Fire NOW!_ When your Captain says fire those torpedoes, _you **FIRE**, you hear me?" _He screamed, as the sailor boy pulled down the lever and released the torpedoes, shaking.

* * *

Tien concentrated on building his ki ball as Launch hung off his shoulder, whining and trying to distract him by pressing her cushiony bosom into his back. Tien blushed, biting his lip as he was just about ready to blast, Launch sunk down in the water.

_"Help, help! Tien! Somethin' got me!"_ She came up out of the water, her breasts bouncing as her top loosened and fell off. His jaw dropped and with a rush of blood pressure he lost his footing and sent the largest Goku-sized Reikitzen blast flying into the air as he raced over to pull her into the safety of his chest to conceal her from all the ogling eyes of his companions.

"Launch! Hold on!" Tien said, bravely. Launch cried out helplessly and squirmed all against him, "Tien, help! It's got my leg!" She lied, rubbing her chest on his and making him groan deep in his throat as he lifted her out of the water, fetching her top and ran off to the safety behind some palm trees to help her get dressed.

Master Roshi's nose spurted out blood as he sprung up from out of his chair, his face turning red as he saw the split second reveal, failing to notice the entire contents of the grill sliding off and into Raditz's breastplate.

* * *

"Here they come. Get ready, Nappa." Vegeta said telepathically, internally chuckling. They stood in wait, standing deep in the ocean at the base of the gulley when multiple torpedoes roared through the dark sea trench, Vegeta swam up and caught the first, turning it around and rearing back he propelled it back to the submarine, Nappa did the same and they repeated the action, quickly retrieving them before they could hit solid rock and explode, they flew back at an incredible velocity and blew into their own submarine hulls, blowing the ships out of the water.

Nappa burst out of the water before Vegeta did, preparing to block against the explosion that sent torpedoes shooting out, many of which went opposite ways and sunk into the water before blasting. One hit Nappa in the abdomen, with a loud grunt and a shattering crunch of his armour the impact caused rivers of blood to pulse from between his fingers as Nappa was thrown backwards, in that split second he fought to slow the torpedoes crushing force that was burrowing into his abdomen.

As he flew up out of the water to take a breath of air, Vegeta gasped at the large, glowing golden ball of light rocketing down to the surface of the sea, not only decimating the remaining naval force but also knocking him and Nappa on their backs and into the water.

* * *

Tien panted, holding Launch beneath him on the sand to conceal her, he could feel the warmth of her half-naked body against his, and as her legs wrapped around him and her pelvis ground against his, he seethed with the pent-up desire, getting up on his hands he took in the sight of her in amazement, and she stared back at him with those dazzling emeralds sparkling in the shadow of the palm trees.

"Are you ok, Launch?" He whispered, his voice husky.

"Yes... I'm sorry Tien!" She cried, feeling afraid of how he would react if he knew she purposely distracted him.

"Sorry, why...?" He swallowed, looking over her upturned face that was flushing brightly. "I lied.. there wasn't somethin' in the water... I just wanted you to pay attention to me!" She said, turning her head and squeezing a tear from the corner of her eye.

Tien looked on, feeling his heart racing. She turned back to him, and he felt his mouth almost salivating; tingling as he looked at her plush pink lips, felt her body pressed firmly beneath his.

"It's... it's ok, Launch. I'm sorry. I should have paid more attention. I know that you... have liked me for a while. But I have to tell you, I'm not-"

"Kiss me, Tien, _please kiss me!" _She cried, pulling her face to his and pressed her lips to his, he felt his blood boil with lust and pressed back, closing his eyes and giving into the passion.

Launch touched his tongue with hers, and after that, he could no longer control himself and he held her by her shoulders and kissed her, thoroughly and felt her body beneath him with his hands tentatively, as she took his hands and guided them to her chest. His eyes widened, gasping. Launch kissed his neck and nipped him lightly with her teeth as he squeezed her wet breasts in his hands, feeling himself throbbing eagerly against her wet bikini bottoms and forgot all about his vow of chastity.

* * *

She sighed, feeling not in the slightest any better. Bulma laid out on a towel on her stomach, sunning her back, sipping on a sweet Strawberry Daiquiri. Bunny laid beside her, her body shapely even at her age in a white polka-dotted red bikini, waving at Dr. Briefs as he sat under the canopy in his swim trunks with his black cat yowling on his shoulder at the sight of the pool water so nearby.

"It's alright, Scratch, we're not going in there, just relax." He chuckled, holding up the little cat and scratching its back. Scratch purred and took it's rightful place back on his shoulder and he returned to reading his newspaper, humming at the articles with interest.

"Ain'tcha gonna take a dip, dearie?" Bunny said, sitting up to sip her Shirley Temple and nibble on a refreshing slice of watermelon. Bulma simply put her head in her hands, sighing.

"I don't feel like doing anything mom, I'm sorry..." She huffed, blowing a curly blue strand of hair out of her face. Her hair was piled atop her head messily with a claw hair clip, the ribbon of her bright, ruffled orange bikini trailing down her back.

She had felt guilty ever since Chi-Chi stopped by this afternoon all ready for a long journey, and asked to borrow the Dragon Radar and some other things so she could go collect the Dragon Balls. She wouldn't tell her why, but Bulma trusted her and gave her the radar and a few other things to assist her on her journey. She felt horrible when Chi-Chi asked her if she'd like to tag along and she had to turn her down, making the excuse that she had too many tests to study for and projects she was working on.

Bulma had already passed her tests last week with flying colors, her final project for mechanical engineering was the Gravity Chamber, which she had intended to make for Goku to use. Not only could it defy the laws of physics; it was also a modified spaceship. The project had won many awards; it was so spectacular; in fact, she'd have to find a willing subject to demonstrate its uses at the gala party they were throwing after graduation in a few weeks. It was _supposed_ to be Goku who assisted her with the demonstration...

Although, now that he was gone... Bulma sighed, taking another long sip of her drink and trying to forget; just for a little while about all the craziness that was her life right now. From losing Goku, fighting with Yamcha, and the crazy Saiyans she had met yesterday, she just needed a _freaking_ break.

She had to smirk just a little as the alcohol rushed to her head, _What I wouldn't give just for a day with that **smug** Prince Vegeta tied to my bed...I'd teach him a **lesson**... _Bulma gasped, popping her head up and giggling as she covered her mouth. She hadn't meant to have such a racy thought about the volatile little man, but ever since he kissed her hand like that and got down on one knee, calling her _'Princess!' _she had been having the craziest fantasies. She knew it was harmless, she wouldn't betray Yamcha even if she was pissed off at him at the moment, she knew deep in her heart she still loved him. She would probably **never** see Vegeta again; _anyways_ she thought, and laid her head down to the side and smiled.

* * *

He managed to open his eyes, tasting the briny saltwater rushing up his nostrils, Vegeta sputtered, coughing as he landed against a rock. The blast of that mysterious yellow ki had knocked them back a few leagues, to the far beach at the edge of the city littered with garbage and the melted, twisted remains of submarines and bloody bodies of soldiers blasted to nothing but disfigured torsos, their limbs bobbing on the surface of the water, the head of the captain rolled across the ground by Vegeta's feet as he regained his footing.

_What the hell was that? I thought these Earthlings **had** no power, that was the size of a **goddamned asteroid**! _He covered his nose at the rank smell of blood and melted plastic, kicking the decapitated head to the side and walking around the various pieces of watercraft, searching for any sign of Nappa. He looked around at the bodies, for any sign or _pieces_... of his purge companion. They weren't truly friends, maybe at the very least companions.

Vegeta treated him respectfully because the man had a great history of success under his belt, and he had spent many of his prime years with him and Raditz, taking them on missions for Frieza but always imparting small bits of knowledge to them about the Saiyans in secret, telling them to never forget about their Saiyan pride.

He grimaced, he faintly hoped that his fellow soldier had not been killed by such a weak blast. _He should be tougher than that! _He took to the air, breathing a bit raggedly, but he ignored it. _Just a little scratch, nothing serious._ Vegeta thought, as he continually scanned the beach for Nappa. He pressed the communication button on his scouter.

"Come in, Nappa. Where are you? Over." He said, growling with agitation. He flew up higher, so that he could see the entire shore littered with evidence of a massacre. He floated in midair a moment, waiting for any response.

"Taking shelter for the evening. Meet me at the soldier's quarters. Over." He spat, shrugging off the tiny sliver of humanity that told him to keep searching. He needed to go tear that Princess a new one.

* * *

There was a low rumble from the ocean as Tien and Launch were getting a bit too hot and heavy, they had been making out for some time, and Launch being the brazen girl she was, had reached down between their bodies and was giving him quite the sensation with her hand as he bent down and mouthed her breast, his head was foggy with lust and he failed to tell her the _one_ little thing that _may_ have been important...


	6. Warriors of Fantasy

"What was that!?" Krillin yelled, over the rumble of the ocean now rolling back after the giant Reikitzen Tien had let off accidentally had hit somewhere far away. Tien's mouth suctioned off Launch's chest with a loud pop, and he sat up, opening his eyes and gasping.

"What are you doin'? Come back here!" Launch snarled, covering her hickey covered chest with her discarded top, and tried to pull him back down by his shorts. "Not now, Launch!" He snapped, trying to listen to the rumbling sound.

"Whaddaya mean,_ 'not now'?_ You better finish what you started, Tien!" Launch growled, tying on half her bikini top. "Let's go to my room..." She said, seductively.

He stood up, shaking his head and pulling up his shorts that were sagging down. "You know what, **No**, that was _way_ too far, I can't do this...! I have to tell you something!" He yelled over the blast, and Launch reared back and slapped him across the face, screaming.

"Be a man! What are ya, a sissy?!" Tien snapped his head back at her and hardened his features.

"Just because I have values, doesn't make me any less of a man!" He said sternly, not noticing the large wave of dark water arching over the sand, as everyone else started running and looking for shelter.

"T-T-Tien..." Launch stuttered, backing away slowly. He turned back in shock, watching as the giant wave came down with a crash, sending sand flying as he lifted Launch up off the ground to safety. The water rushed over the beach, leaving a reddish tint of blood on the sand. "T-Thank you.." She said, softly and wrapped her arms around his neck, Tien turned and held her, his eyes large with regret. "I'm sorry Launch, I think you're beautiful... I really do like you, but.." Launch's nose twitched, and her eyes beaded with tears as the sand started to fall from the air._ "AAHCHOO!"_ She sneezed loudly in a husky voice, and Tien flinched back, holding her away from him.

He looked back, feeling disappointed as the blue-haired Launch was now awake and looking at her surroundings, bewildered. "Oh, uh, sorry..." Tien said awkwardly, lowering her down to the ground. He quickly tied the back of her top before anything could pop out, and she looked over her shoulder, blushing brightly. "What are you doing!?" She piped up, huffing and feeling man-handled.

"Um, I'm sorry, there was a little incident... " He said, and turned her around, looking down at her chest and gasping when he noticed all the hickeys from before were now gone, on this Launch.

_"Y-You **pervert**!"_ She cried out, backing away from him and covering herself. _What on Earth is going on here! Oh No, I have to check on Raditz! _She shook his grip off of her and shuddered, running inside. Tien watched her run away, lowering his head sadly._ I didn't get the chance to tell her yet..._

* * *

_Bulma lied back, with cucumber slices on her eyes, her face covered in green face mask and a towel wrapped around her hair. She wore a plush terry cloth robe with her feet raised up._

_"Ohhhh yeah... Give it to me..." She moaned, shuddering._

_"As you wish, Princess. More chocolate syrup?" A deep voice said from below, a dripping sound could be heard and Bulma shuddered. "And whipped cream!" She cried out, gasping._

_"But of course. How do you want it, on the top? Or **all over**?" His voice resonated, chuckling. "Ohhh, spray it all over!" She gasped, licking her lips._

_"Ok. Here it comes... You ready?" He said, grunting. "I'm ready, put it in my mouth!" She moaned, and Prince Vegeta lifted the large bowl of ice cream up, and spooned the sundae into her mouth, making her moan with delight._

_"Yesss," He seethed. "You swallow it like a **real** Princess, don't you? Here comes some more..." He put the spoon in her mouth again, making her moan as she swallowed._

_"You know how to fill a girl up right!" She sighed, as the Prince fed her ice cream then massaged her feet..._

Bulma snorted, a little drool leaking from the corner of her mouth as she snoozed, having fallen asleep tanning.

"You! Woman! Wake **UP**!" Bulma furrowed her eyebrows in her sleep, _Why would I want to wake up from this paradise?_ She thought, mumbling and turning her head the other way. Vegeta growled, bent down and hurled her over his shoulder and into the pool.

Bulma awoke with a start, screaming as her sluggish, tipsy body hit ice cold pool water. She flapped her arms around, wailing, her short legs not working to keep her afloat in her half-asleep state.

"You have got to be _kidding me!"_ Vegeta cursed, jumping into the pool and flew her out to safety, back on her beach towel, now sopping wet and about as happy as a shaved cat.

She looked up at him and couldn't believe the sweet prince from her dreams could act in such a way.

"What the hell was that for! I was having a nice dream!" She shouted, her hair bedraggled and falling out of her hair clip. "Well, let's see, it _SEEMS_ you forgot to call off all your pathetic armies! I **killed** them all, by the way, _Princess! " _He snapped, standing over her dripping wet and steaming, his teeth bared. Bulma was still trying to regain her awareness, as she looked up at him dazedly.

"I don't control them? Why would I do that..?" She murmured and he sputtered, exasperated.

"_What?! _So _who_ does? I'll kill them instead!" He bellowed, so hopping mad he was nearly ready to blow the vein pulsing in his forehead.

Bulma came to her senses, the reality that this was no longer a dream and that she was supposed to keep up the facade that she was a princess was very important if she wanted to survive this little encounter. "Uh, you know what, don't worry! I'll have them executed myself!" She said, standing. He seemed satisfied with her answer, and let out a long sigh of probably years of _extremely_ pent-up aggression. _This guy needs to learn how to **chillax**.._.

"Good, that will suffice. I lost a good man over that battle, where are your soldier's barracks? I need to bathe and have a large, hot meal." He huffed, crossing his arms. Bulma stared at him in disbelief, lifting one eyebrow.

"Of course, _Your Highness._.." She said, getting to her feet and plastering on a fake smile. He gave her a quick once over. "What kind of garb is that? You're a Princess, not a _common **whore**_." He scoffed. Bulma grit her teeth.

"_Excuse me?! _On this planet I am one of _the_ most beautiful women, and _any_ man would be _thrilled_ to see me in a bikini!"

The Prince chuckled, "Quite the insecure one, are we? I said your _state of dress_ was inappropriate, I did not comment on your... features." He said, lifting his eyebrow and tilting his head as he hinted towards her generous assets that weren't covered well by the skimpy top. Bulma pulled a towel off a lawn chair and wrapped it around herself, tossing her head back proudly.

"Well, it seems for someone so _insecure_ I caught _your_ attention pret-ty quickly." She said slyly, and sauntered away towards the house. Vegeta's eyes widened and he tore them away from her shaking rear and swore under his breath.

"Follow me, Your Majesty..." She said, looking over her shoulder and heading through the back door. Vegeta shook his head, and followed her, all while thinking, _Damn woman...!_

* * *

Launch didn't know why, but an intense feeling of panic came over her when she had woken up and Tien had his hands, and eyes_ all over her._ It was too much to be just a little "incident"... she thought, feeling frightened when he had handled her so brazenly and stared directly at her chest. Launch opened the door to her bedroom, her head hanging down a bit as if she were tired.

Raditz looked on with anticipation, having heard all the commotion outside he was ready to break down the door if he could have. He sat up in bed, his finger tapping on his large bicep.

"Where have you been?" He asked, gruffly. The girl wore such a small amount of clothing, and was wet and covered in sand, but what he was _truly_ concerned about was how she barely lifted her head to greet him.

She walked over to the side of the bed but didn't lift her eyes, only crawled over and curled up beside him, silently.

"Launch?" He said softly, craning his head to the side. He moved, with a small amount of straining, and laid on his side to observe her. She balled her small hands up to her chest protectively and sobbed. Raditz's heart felt seized, he became tense as he heard her small shaking gasps, smelled the sharp salty scent of tears, the scent... of _another man?_

"Who **touched** you!?" He snarled. Launch shook her head, this only made him _more_ enraged. He could **smell** it, the offensive scent of another male's arousal on her bikini, and it made him see red.

"He touched you. It's on your clothing." He growled. Launch curled up closer to him, cradling her head on his bandaged chest.

"Take it off. I can't _stand_ that fucking smell. I'll **kill** him!"

Launch moved Raditz's hand to the bikini's strap, pressing herself closer. She was not afraid of him. He looked at the string in his hand, puzzled. He pulled the knot out slowly, looking down to see if it was alright with her. She didn't move, or make any sound of disapproval, so he pulled the top off the rest of the way, tossing it out the window where the smell would be carried off by the wind. Launch pulled the strings loose on her bottoms, and handed it to him. He threw it out the window.

Feeling better without the other male's odor, he felt sated that the scent was now gone, having been only on the clothes. Her body was cold and wet with seawater, but she did not smell as if she had been mated by another man.

"It's alright now, Little Launch. You're safe." He wrapped himself around her to keep her warm, stroking her back which was quivering violently as she was still wracked with sobs. _I can't stand it, I hate that scent of tears, I want her to be happy like before, not this..._

Raditz wrapped his tail around her waist, pulling her flush to his body and purring. He couldn't explain the strange sound that he inexplicably made, it was more or less a soft growl but he noticed himself doing it whenever he felt content, but it also could be made to calm another, Saiyan mothers commonly made the sound to calm a crying child.

"...I was so scared...but, I know that it was because of her... _she_ let him touch her body, it wasn't _me_ Tien was interested in..." She murmured, half to herself and half to Raditz. She had forgotten about her slight fancy with Tien, that flame had blown just about out ever since having Raditz appear, her mind was so focused on taking care of him, she had forgotten about her crush on Tien.

After all that, she _definitely_ would stay far away from him. "Who is _she_?" He asked softly, resting his large hand on her back, her body obscured by his, all he could see was the top of her hair, and some of her lower back as he stroked it. Launch paused, sniffling and chuckled sadly.

"She is me... my other half. But, _not_ me.." She said, before Raditz could interrupt, "I have known it for a long time... I didn't believe it when I was told as a child that I had a "Split personality", quite literally... I saw the pictures of her, and just couldn't wrap my mind around the fact that there is another person sharing _my_ body... another _me_...You must think I'm crazy."

Raditz wracked his brain, thoughts clicking together. He considered what she said, patient, keeping his mind open to possibility. Something dawned on him that he hadn't thought of in a very long time. "No. You are not... There is a legend of the Gemini, a race of people who inhabit one body with two souls, two separate appearances...Their race is long dead, but... If that is the case, then you harbor a _separate entity altogether_." He said, carefully choosing his words.

_Yes, the Gemini... I should have known when I saw the green-eyed female, but it has been so long... So long since we came to their planet and wiped out their entire race..._

"What? What are you saying? I'm not human?" Launch gasped, looking up into his face. He smiled, sadly and touched her cheek with his finger softly.

"Yes. I would know if you were a human. You don't harbor _their_ smell. Your scent is... pleasing." Raditz gazed into her dark eyes, which when filled with tears, the irises were considerably darkened.

Launch stared back, "You aren't human, either. You're like Goku." She said softly.

_Goku! That name... Yes... It's coming back to me now..._

"I am. A Saiyan, of course." He said, and she nodded, knowingly. She knew when he ate the same amount as Goku, and used his tail like a tool to play with her. She remembered Goku from when he was just a young child and he and Krillin had rescued her from the police after her other self had been caught robbing a train, and brought her back to Master Roshi in order to earn his training. She agreed to be his housekeeper, but had to swat the old man good quite a few times until he got the message that she wasn't interested in his advances.

Launch uncurled her hand and reached to stoke Raditz's cheek, causing his pupils to darken, and his purr to deepen. She stroked his cheek softly, feeling it was hot, hairless and smooth like leather, besides the sides of his jaw with thick, black sideburns. She smiled, enjoying the warmth of his body, and the soothing vibrations; the smell of his perspiration, like an exotic spice. She inhaled, breathing out through her mouth.

"I really like the way you smell... it's almost like cinnamon... but very faint." She said, closing her eyes with a small smile. Raditz met his brows in the middle, puzzled. He pulled her closer, smelling her head for confirmation, then pulling her back.

"How can _you_ smell that?"

The Gemini were not like the Saiyan with extra perceptive senses. They were something else _entirely._

"I don't know.. I haven't ever smelled something _nice_ like that.. most people smell **bad**... " She said, with a small giggle. Then gasped, feeling sinful for saying such a thing.

Raditz chuckled, nuzzling her approvingly and pulled the ties from her hair so he could run his fingers through her marvelous dark locks, like an oil slick of purple and blue hues.

"Your scent is like _honey.._." He whispered in her ear, rumbling pleasedly as he pulled her hair gently through his fingers until it was untangled and silky.

"It makes me _hungry_... " He growled, making her giggle again. Launch raked her fingers through his hair, and across his scalp as she gripped him softly as if she were going to arch her face up to his.

He felt the sensation of the gentle tug of pain at his roots, it made him want to go absolutely wild when her little nails scratched him. Raditz lowered his face to hers, waiting for her to give the sign she wanted him to kiss her. His eyes flickered, staring into hers in a fervor. He licked his lips and rumbled in his throat. Launch popped up her head suddenly, snapping out of the loving trance.

"Oh no! You're probably _starving!" _She said, feeling sympathetic.

He thought briefly of his little theft through the window with his breastplate. "No. I'm not hungry yet. **Stay**." He said, pulling her down to sit on his firm abdomen. Launch blushed, remembering that nothing separated their bodies from touching. But she didn't feel frightened, she felt comfortable, safe. _Raditz didn't do anything like that, like... _Launch frowned a little, her eyes growing downcast.

"What?" Raditz sensed something was off immediately.

"...You wouldn't.. **do** anything unless I said it was ok, right?" She said, shyly, placing her arm over her small, yet full breasts as he laid his head back on his pillow, one hand holding her and the other behind his head.

Launch almost wanted to immediately retract her question. _He showed himself to me, and flirted with me, but he hasn't made any move to actually _**_do_**_ something.. sexual._ She thought, and swallowed; staring at his face that at first was an expression of sheer outrage, then slowly faded to become softened, saddened as he was deep in thought.

Raditz initially wanted to disagree right away, to laugh at her silly request. But he was also tempted to say No, if that would appease her._ I have never waited for the woman's approval... I have only ever taken what I wanted... But with **her**... I- I couldn't_

"...**No**. I will not **'****do'** anything, unless you say it is alright." The words sickeningly sweet on his tongue, he softly growled, feeling his hackles wanting to rise. His own masculinity felt stripped. But, no one could hear him right now but her. There was no Vegeta here to tease him, and that other male would understand his place once he fully covered her in his scent.

"Thank you." She said, and kissed him softly on the lips. He felt the warm plushness of her lips tenderly pressing to his and his eyes widened as she pulled away with a small smile, her cheeks flushing pink. Raditz licked his lips and gulped, feeling his blood pressure rise from her taste on him. Launch kissed his cheek and giggled naively at his quick reaction, her eyes becoming sleepy as she rested her head on his shoulder.

Raditz's primal blood was roiling within his veins, its voice screaming to be heard. _Take her! **Now**, weakling! Put her in her place! **You** are the man, __you say when you want **her**! She will learn to e__njoy it after the pain stops!_ He snarled to himself, baring his teeth. His hand fisted in the sheets, shaking so hard as he wouldn't allow it to move to claim her. Raditz lied still, as she settled comfortably into the nook of his arm and rested. He sighed deeply from the bottom of his belly with longing; feeling the dull ache in his loins as he ignored his body's response to her. Hesitantly, he turned his head and kissed her gently on the forehead. Then, curling his arm around her, he pulled the blanket over her form. _I don't know what's wrong with me...I must be losing my freaking mind..._

* * *

He could just barely open his eyes, the irises twitched back and forth dazedly as Nappa slowly became aware of the sensation of warmth, spreading through the cracks in his armour and into the sand. _Am I... dead?_ His hazy thought whispered, and he gasped as he felt a sensation of rising, of many hands wrapping around him and cradling him.

_"It's one of them."_

_"What should we do with him?"_

_"Let's take him to our lord. He will know."_

Nappa struggled to move his tongue to form words, it felt thick in his mouth and as he became gradually more awake, he started to protest; grunting.

_"**Careful**! He's dangerous."_

_"I'll make sure he doesn't wake."_

A sharp sensation hit the back of his skull, and he clicked his teeth together, biting his tongue and tasted the blood pooling in his mouth as he lost consciousness.

* * *

_"Ugh!"_ Bulma screamed, at the pile of filthy armour Vegeta had shedded before even making it two feet in the door. He had made himself right at home, stripping down to his blue spandex under armour, demanding to be directed to the bathing chambers. Bulma wasn't disagreeing with that, he stunk like _dead fish!_ She could barely breathe as she dragged the armour out to the back yard and sprayed it with a hose, dumping gallons of industrial cleaner over it, then power-washing the dark bloodstains, gagging as long strands of seaweed and a dead fish flopped out, reeking like the fisherman's wharf port-a-potty.

"I'm gonna freaking **barf**!"

...

Vegeta hissed as the hot water ran down his scalp, he allowed the heat to burn and numb his aching flesh, streams of blood ran down his body as he soaped himself, seething at the sensation of the soap finding every hairline scratch and wound on his body. He only grit his teeth and allowed the pain, _Every __tiny bit of pain is good, it will only serve to strengthen me._ He reached up and brushed his fingers through his unruly mane, closing his eyes and sighing as the ache became soothed, the steam billowing up and concealing the dark shadow of his body through the scalloped shower door.

...

Bulma set his now gleaming white armour out to dry in the sunlight, sighing. Bunny popped her head out the door, her red-lipped mouth in a circle of surprise after seeing the wild looking man storming through the house.

"Bulma? Whose our little house guest?" Bulma walked back in the door, wiping her hands on her towel.

"A _real_ Prince Charming! Ha!" She said sarcastically, taking her hair down from its clip and shaking it out.

"Is he stayin' for dinner...?" Her mother asked, with a hint of hopeful excitement. "Sure is, and make sure it's _hot_ he says, and make_ a lot." _Bulma scoffed, removing her flip flops and going to her room to take a quick shower.

"Oh, how excitin'!" Bunny exclaimed, bouncing happily back to the kitchen with a loud clanging of pots and pans as she enthusiastically got to making dinner

...

Bulma had only just barely stepped out onto the plush pink floor mat when she heard a bellow of discontent at her door.

_"Woman!"_

Bulma ran her fingers through her hair and nearly pulled it out at the roots.

"What!?" She screamed back as she stormed out, hastily wrapping a towel around herself. The door blew open and he stood there like the sculpted bronze statue of Adonis, holding up shreds of a white t-shirt with large bloodstains on it.

"Your cheap linens don't fit right!" He snarled, tossing it down. Bulma gasped, "That was Yamcha's!" She picked it up, observing the damage. Her eyes flickered back to his tanned abdomen, ignoring the rippling muscle and settling on the many scratches and tears in his flesh; where pink flesh bubbled out from the gash of the worst one on his ribs.

"You _need_ medical attention!" She seethed, pointing at the injury.

He looked down at himself, scoffing.

"These are _nothing!_ Just flesh wounds!" He said, feeling exasperated he swung his arms out with exaggeration and then cringed, Bulma could see the twitching of his clenched jaw as he crossed his arms over himself to hide the pain.

"I'd have to say I agree with you there Bulma, that scrape on his side should be at the very least stitched up." Dr. Briefs said, reaching over and poking at it strategically with his pen. Vegeta shot straight up and howled in sheer agony in response. Bulma backed away in fear, remembering the deadly wrath of their visitor.

"Now, can you say with all certainty, _that_ didn't hurt?" Dr. Briefs said, clicking his pen and putting it back into his lab coat pocket.

Vegeta only growled in response.

"That's what I thought. Come along young man, let's get you stitched up." He said, and to Bulma's amazement, Vegeta lowered his head and followed her father to the medical wing. She watched as a brown tail slumped out of his sweatpants dejectedly, and Bulma put her hand to her mouth and giggled at the way it drooped comically. _Well, I'll be damned... _She thought in amazement, then closed the door to go get dressed.

* * *

They had finished picking up all the damage to the beach after the large tidal wave had hit, and returned indoors to relax a while. Tien looked on, distracted as Yamcha and Krillin played Mortal Kombat competitively, with the rest watching and cheering them on, having some slices of pizza instead after their barbeque was ruined. Tien didn't feel much like playing games tonight.

He walked out of the room and went outside to where Master Roshi was outside fiddling with the grill, dumping water out of it and grumbling to himself. "Need a hand?" He said, rubbing the back of his head. "_Nah,_ I think I'm just gonna throw it out! Been burnin' up food all day, I don't know where the hell it goes, just up and disappears!" He said, his hands on his hips, looking at the grill sternly as if he could conjure up the missing food.

"I was wondering, uh, if you could give me some _advice_..?" Master Roshi turned and raised his eyebrows, wiping his brow that was smeared with charcoal.

"Uh, sure if that's what you want..?" He said, shrugging. Tien looked around conspicuously, and Roshi put his arm around his shoulder, cackling. They walked away from the house, towards the backyard for some privacy.

"It's that little spitfire Launch that got ya all worked up, isn't it? Heh heh." He said, knowingly. He had seen quite enough to form an opinion, during their "secret" little rendezvous behind the palm trees.

"...Yeah, she says that if I don't.. finish what I started then I'm not a man... I just don't know what to do, I was supposed to keep my vow of chastity but it's too late now to say I've been _completely_ chaste..."

He said, shyly. "But I really like Launch, I don't want to hurt her feelings.." Master Roshi nodded, a wry grin on his face.

"Tell ya what boy, a man only gets one shot with a girl like that, I say ya probably _blew it!"_ He shook his head shamefully, and Tien's eyes widened, his shoulders sagging. "_Really?_ You think?" They went and sat down on logs over by the firepit they used at times, and Roshi picked up a stick and started poking a hole in the ground, thoughtfully.

"If you want to win her back, you'll have to prove that you _really_ intend to finish the job! Women are _verrrrrry_ particular about every little thing you say. That's why you may _-sometimes-_ have to make up a _harmless_ little white lie to calm her down... Now, we'll discuss the details of all that later, first I want to make sure you know the essentials of courting a lady."

Roshi elaborated, this was a _very_ important part of his education. Tien laughed, feeling a little sheepish, he blushed. "Well, I can't say I'm an expert on the subject, It's not like _I've_ ever done anything with a girl."

He said, and Roshi nodded, wisely.

"Well, ya see. In _my time_ I've courted many a lovely lady, and I've done some _extensive_ research into the aspects of the female anatomy, and the complex workings of the female brain." Tien looked on, a rapt listener.

"Now, ya see this stick? That's your _tall fellow_ if ya know what I mean, heh heh! And that hole in the ground, well, that's her _lady_ parts..."

* * *

A rumbling sound in her ear startled Launch from her peaceful slumber, she sat up, blinking dazedly. She turned, looking over the vast expanse of man before her which was Raditz, who still snored peacefully. Launch softly chuckled, watching his nose twitching, as he made tiny grunts in his throat as he slept.

She reached over and stroked her hand over his hair, noticing how it was in disarray and becoming knotted. Launch frowned, worried that the care that she was giving him wasn't adequate enough. She raked her fingers through his hair and he didn't seem to stir, he only calmed his twitching. Launch combed out what she could, climbing over him to reach the hair at his crown. She felt a hot breath as she was reaching and trying to get the knot at the very top of his head, then felt two hands clutching her thighs and a muffled groan.

"Huh?" Launch looked down, and saw him struggling between her legs, then jumped up, yelping when something nipped her thigh. Launch fell backwards on him, and Raditz sat up, his face red and contorted with rage.

"What the hell girl, you tell me I can't have you, then, you _rub it_ in my face!?" He snarled, licking his lips. His eyes were wild, the whites of them bulging out as she clapped her knees together and backed away.

"I'm sorry! I-I didn't mean to!" Launch blushed and narrowed her shoulders, feeling bad. Well, not only for unknowingly teasing him, but she also felt _naughty.._. "Now, after that, I _am_ hungry, unless **you** want to be the appetizer, I suggest you find some food!"

He now was attempting to get up farther to go after her, and Launch hopped off the bed, before remembering that she was still naked. She covered herself with her hands, squealing in embarrassment.

"That's not necessary. Don't be foolish, Little Launch." He said, with a gruff snort at the silly girl. He'd already seen _plenty_ of her from the nice view she'd given him.

He sighed heavily and cracked his neck, placing his hands on the sides of the bed he pushed himself up with a groan, cracking his back and stretching.

Launch stared at him, stunned, she hadn't realized how tall he was as he came towards her and her head only came to just below his chest. He looked down at her and smirked, "Did you _really_ think I couldn't leave this fucking bed? A man has to take a shit sometime." Then he turned; his long hair swishing down to the back of his knees, and bent down into the archway and slammed the bathroom door shut behind him.

Launch stood with her hand over her heart, feeling it racing wildly for a moment, then scrambled to go fetch clothes to wear. She threw on a t-shirt and jeans, not caring _what_ they were, as long as she was dressed, and ran out towards the kitchen. It was dark but for an array of the flashing lights, from video games playing in the living room. Launch sighed when she heard many voices clamoring for the violence on the T.V, followed by the game's loud blood splatter and screaming as Oolong jumped up, showboating after annihilating Yamcha's character.

He jeered back drunkenly, falling off the couch, then Chiaoutzu and Puar looked to another, shaking their heads shamefully. Launch crept away silently; not wishing to clean up the mess in the living room after one of them wasn't able to hold his drinks. She looked on the counter at the three half-empty pizza boxes there, then saw another three next to them not even opened.

Launch took the boxes and hefted them back to the room, shouldering open the door and setting the boxes down on her trunk at the end of the bed.

"Here, is that enough, Mr. Raditz?" Launch said, looking around the room at the empty bed, then the closed bathroom door. She sighed and sat down, opening the top box and popping the triangular slice of greasy cheese into her mouth.

Raditz came out not long after, with sweat beaded on his body and sat down heavily on the bed. It was excruciatingly painful to stand up like he had, but he wasn't going to let her know that. There was no way he would lower himself _even more_ and have her help him do **that**.

"Here you go. This is called pizza." She said, opening the box and setting it in front of him. His eyes widened at the sight, his sharp, twitching nose taking in the tempting aroma.

"Mmm, " He murmured, then picked up three slices and crammed them into his mouth.

Launch giggled as he started shoveling them in at a rapid pace, grabbing the second box and inhaling those too.

She nabbed one more slice before handing him the third box, smiling when seeing his pizza sauce splattered cheeks. She reached over wipe the sauce off with a napkin, and when she did he paused mid-chew, turning to glare at her.

"Sorry..." She said, and frowned. Once he was done he laid back, wiping his cheeks with his hand, then licking it.

Launch gathered up the boxes and brought them outside, intending to go throw them on the fire pit. She stepped out the back door, and into the darkening yard, seeing the glow of a fire there. She smiled and waved at Master Roshi when he called her over, a bit drunkenly as well. Launch tossed the boxes to the side and brushed her hands off.

"Hi there, Launch. Having fun?" He said, grinning. "Huh? What'cha mean by that?" She said, walking over and sitting on the log beside him. "Well, I don't think _you_ ate all those pizzas yourself. Only Goku can eat like that, or _perhaps_ his **brother**..." He said, chuckling softly.

"Goku has a brother?" She asked, naively. "That's right, _you_ weren't there. The blondie was. Yep, Goku's brother is the one who got him **killed**. Raditz was the name." He said, soberly. Launch froze, her heart feeling lanced with her shock.

"_R-Raditz you say...?"_


	7. Hearts Torn Betwixt

* * *

_Last Time..._

_"Yep_ _, Goku's brother is the one who got him **killed**. Raditz was the name." He said, soberly. Launch froze, her heart feeling lanced with her shock._

_"R-Raditz you say...?"_

Present.

Master Roshi eyed Launch inquisitively, studying her reaction after telling her the truth about her little house guest, Raditz. He wasn't an old fool like everyone liked to think, he had added the two and two together. After Launch proclaimed that there was a very _hungry_ man in her bed, and Chi-Chi had called him in a panic saying that when she visited Goku's gravesite, the neighboring grave seemed to be _crawled_ out of...

Now, he only wanted to be sure that his demure little housekeeper who at times was a bit ditzy, knew **exactly** what she was dealing with.

"Yes. Did you know that Raditz was a _space pirate?" _He said, as if innocently making conversation.

"A-a-a space pirate? What's that? She asked, feigning a smile.

"Well, from what I've heard... they're much like those gentlemen who destroyed part of East City...ya see, they go from planet to planet, _killing_ any inhabitants that pose a threat; or simply _slaughtering_ the innocents! Then, they sell it to other aliens at a high price... But what does that matter to _us?_ Heh heh."

Launch stared on, her eyes wide and beginning to water.

"M-Murder...?" Her voice quivered.

"I don't think _murder_ is quite the word. More like... _mass genocide_...or _purge_...A societal cleansing, If you will." He said, taking a swig of his beer and eyeing her as she took in this information.

"I...I see..." Launch lowered her head and stared into the fire, wrapping her arms around her stomach. Her entire body quivered.

_No... Raditz couldn't do that... **could** he?_ Come to think of it, she never even _bothered _to question why he was injured so badly, or much of _anything_ about his past. Master Roshi frowned, feeling slightly bad about telling her the truth, but he felt she should know before getting herself in too deep. He also wasn't too keen on harboring such a criminal, but after all; Launch was one too... At least, blonde Launch.

"Would you like a drink, dear?" He asked, hoping to soften the blow. She looked ready to cripple over.

"..No, thank you... I have to go inside..." She said, standing a bit woozily, and began walking stiffly toward the house. Master Roshi bit his cheek as Tien popped out of the bushes with a large feather and tickled her nose with it. Launch was startled, her eyes watering as he kept tickling._ "Ahchoo!" _She sneezed daintily, immediately transformed into her blonde counterpart.

Tien quickly switched the feather for a bouquet of roses and chocolate, getting down on one knee.

"Oh brother, what now?" Launch said, crossing her arms.

_What a hell of a way to wake up!_

"Launch, my love! Please forgive me!" Tien said, thrusting the gifts into her hands and bowing to the ground with his face nearly in the dirt. She sniffed the flowers, before looking at him on the ground and chuckling.

"Hmmm..." She mused, putting her foot on the back of his head. "I _might_ consider it. **_if, _**you tell me how beautiful I am... and do whatever **I** want!" She said as she ground his face into the dirt. Tien yelled back as well as he could, muffled by a clump of grass.

"You're as beautiful as the stars! No, more beautiful than_ all the universe!_ Launch, I beg you, **please** give me another chance!" Launch took her foot off and laughed, pulling him up by his ear.

"Ya didn't hafta' beg, goofball! But I appreciate the sentiment." She said, and Tien smiled, revealing the dirt wedged in between his teeth.

"Sheesh, if we're gonna go on a date, you better brush your teeth!" She said, and sauntered away with her head held high, grinning smugly.

"Ya did it! _Woo hoo!"_ Master Roshi cheered, jumping up and giving Tien a high five.

"It wouldn't have worked if it weren't for your clever distraction!" Tien said, nudging him in the side. Master Roshi chuckled a little uneasily, "Oh, eheheh, don't mention it..."

* * *

Bulma brushed her long azure locks, sighing as she gazed longingly at the phone_. Isn't Yamcha _**_ever_**_ going to call and check on me? I wonder what he's doing...? _She thought, then stood, smelling something delectable wafting up from downstaird. Bulma straightened out her crushed velvet blue tank top and scarlet silk skirt, turning in the mirror and observing herself.

_Hmm..this is the closest thing I have to that dress he liked...I bet this will make his Majesty's eyes pop **right out **of his head!_ Bulma paused, frowning. _Why do I give a damn what **he** likes?_

Bulma brushed thd odd thought off,then walked down the hallway with multiple guestrooms, not even looking where she was going in her determination to_ not care_.

"Oof!" She exclaimed, as she was hit with a solid brick wall, then felt herself floating in mid-air a split second later.

Bulma opened her eyes to see Vegeta leaning down to catch her; his dark ebony eyes hard and emotionless. He quickly got her to her feet, then sneered with disgust.

"It might help to _**open** your eyes_ while you walk, Woman." He smirked, rolling his eyes at her as if she were an imbecile.

Bulma was still regaining her wits but she quickly snapped to attention when she heard him call her _'Woman' _again in such a demeaning tone.

"My _name_ is Bulma! Use it sometime!" She snapped, and stormed off. She kept walking, but found her steps got her no farther ahead.

"What the _hell!?"_ Bulma yelled, then looked down and saw his tail wrapped around her waist, and so she started grabbing at it and pulling it, but it was like a steel bar. He pulled her around to face him, and she quivered, but didn't tear her eyes away from his as he spoke.

"I don't _care_ what the _ridiculous_ name of some **vague** Earthling Princess is. You may bear the royal colors but you have no air of dignity, no class. You're just a weak human, nothing but a bag of impure blood and fragile bones." He articulated, venom dripping from every word. His tail tightened gradually as he spoke, nearly squeezing the air from her. Bulma swallowed, feeling fear-laced sweat dripping down the middle of her back.

"I am more than just _some_ human, I'll have you know! I am the heiress to the Capsule Corporation, which makes the most high tech, state-of-the-art technology that your **primitive** brain couldn't _possibly_ comprehend! If you hurt me, you'll have_ a lot_ of angry people to deal with! I have very **strong **friends, who would come to save me, and send you crawling back to the backwards planet you came from!" She growled, with a sharp pinch on the tip of his tail. Vegeta quickly retracted it in pain, curling it around himself protectively. He could only stare with disbelief as she walked away, her shapely bottom encased in the silky skirt, shaking wantonly as he still tried to process what the puny earthling woman had done to him. His years of tail training, _wasted_ as she somehow knew that the very tip of his tail was the most vulnerable, that and the base.

_How... how could she possiblity know about my tail's weakness?!_

_It had to be a bluff,_ He thought assuredly, then stormed past the woman, leaving her in the dust as he followed the tempting smell. He hadn't had a proper meal in almost a year now, and he wasn't going to allow some dainty little princess to beat him to it.

_That prick! _Bulma thought, then smiled wryly. _I'll show him! _She thought, then reared her hand back and smacked him right across his hard buttock. Her hand hit his perfectly round cheek with a loud thunderclap of hard flesh against flesh, and Bulma immediately regretted it; drawing her hand back and wincing in pain as her hand felt broken.

He froze, the hairs sticking up on the nape of his neck, then turned slowly towards her and smirked.

"Well, well, that was foolish. You nearly broke your _poor, **useless** hand _on my firm glutes." He said, teasingly, then let out a harsh laugh and hopped down the staircase in one leap. Bulma growled aloud, balling her fists up and tossing her head back as she let out a primal shriek of her agitation.

"Bulma dear, aren't you going to introduce our handsome guest?" Bunny called up the stairs, and Bulma sagged her shoulders in defeat then came down, grumbling to herself.

Vegeta sat at the table, watching her with that malevolent, yet almost playful gleam in his eye as she came down, and bumbled to form words.

"This is His Highness, Prince Vegeta, of-of.." She drew a blank, and looked ti hin for help.

"Planet Vegeta." He answered for her, smugly.

_This guy is on a whole new level of **narcissism**!_

"Of _Planet_ Vegeta.." She finished, "and this is my mom and dad. I mean...the King and Queen..?" Her mother laughed giddily and fluffed her hair, flattered.

"Aw, Bulma you're such a sweetie-pie!" Bulma sat down, laughing nervously as her mother began spooning out dinner for them all. Her father lowered his paper, appearing to be lost in thoughts of scientific theory, and Vegeta stared at her with narrowed eyes over the growing pile of food in front of him.

"How's this, Your Majesty? More chicken?" Her mother asked, and he nodded curtly, and allowed her to plop the glistening, crispy kung pao chicken on top of his large dome of white rice, and Japanese fried vegetables.

Bulma smiled, knowingly.

"Thank you for the lovely dinner, momma. I hope that it's satisfactory for _His Majesty's _discerning tastes." She said, as she popped a piece of chicken in her mouth. Bunny sat down and set her chin in her hands to eagerly observe him take his first bite. Vegeta picked up his chopsticks, looking at them as if they were offensive; his brows furrowed.

"Oh, you poor dear! Let me get you a fork!" His eyes drilled at Bulma suspiciously as Bunny hopped up to fetch him a fork, Bulma snickered into her hand as he snatched away the fork and stabbed it into the food, picking up a large piece of sliced red pepper and stuffing it into his mouth. He chewed, thoughtfully, then swallowed, his face slowly turning red and sweating.

"Don't you like it, Prince Vegeta? I just love kung pao chicken, it's nice and _hot. _Just the way I like it! My sensitive human tongue can handle it _juuust_ fine. Did they have food like this on your planet?" She asked, innocently. He shook his head no, hiding a tiny grunt as he sufferingly stuffed a large blob of rice and chicken in his cheek.

"Oh, that's too bad! Was it _hot_ there? It gets pretty _hot_ here in the summer," She said, popping more food in her mouth and chewing politely. Vegeta nodded at her, chewing quickly and shoving more food in his mouth bravely, his eyes starting to water. "Why, sometimes it gets up to _100 degrees_. It just makes you want to have a _nice, cool drink." _She said, then took a sip of milk from her glass and soothed the spiciness.

Vegeta stared at the glass; the condensation dripping slowly down the side as he chewed with a pained expression.

"Milk! I _love_ milk!" Bulma sighed loudly, taking another gulp.

"Mm-mm-_mmm!_ Cools that spiciness _right_ down! _And_ it's important for growing bones, you know, not that** I**care, but I've heard that it can make you _taller!" _She said, with mock enthusiasm.

Vegeta scooped more food onto his mouth stubbornly, a helpless glaze coming over his eyes.

"Oh! I'll get the prince some milk! I guess I forgot, I'm not used to having guests!" Bunny said, jumping up and opening the fridge. She poured him a glass slowly as Bulma grinned smugly at him. Vegeta was shaking; he was holding in the urge to scream so badly, and took the offered glass and downed it, letting out a large sigh of relief. Then he eyed the pitcher on the table and stood and guzzled it down, a white line trickling down his smooth, bronze cheek, as he gulped loudly and panted. Bunny giggled, "Help yourself, sweetie! There's more where that came from! Why you're a _growing boy! _" She tittered, amused. Bulma nodded in agreement, feeling the sweet, sweet revenge.

* * *

He had sated his need for food, released his bladder, cleaned himself of the tasty sauce, and now Raditz sat contently in wait for the return of his little Nurse Launch. _There are other things that need her attention._ He thought, with a mischievous grin. He laid back on the bed; his tail twitching, that is until the door blew wide open.

He sat up, with restrained excitement, only to be stunned by what he saw. Launch glared down at him, her eyes wide with surprise. Raditz's eyes widened as well, taking in the odd sight of Launch's clothes on her blonde counterpart. She reached behind the door carefully and pulled out an assault rifle.

"You have_ 5 seconds_ to get out of _my_ bed. Or these bullets are going straight through your heart!" She said, slinging the strap over her shoulder, loading it.

Raditz chuckled, unintimidated.

"You think that measly gun will have any effect on me?" He said, standing on his still quivering legs. He wore only a white towel slung loosely over his hips. Launch's eyes took in his form a split second, then snapped back to attention.

"My gun will pulverize ya!" She said, lifting it.

Her arms shook, remembering that this was the man from before that kidnapped Gohan. He kept walking, slowly unravelling the many bloody bandages around his chest. She looked on in amazement, almost feeling sick to her stomach as he removed the last strip and revealed the exposed, beating heart inside; a hole could be discerned going right through his back. She gulped, trying to look away but too morbidly fascinated.

"Here. Put it right **here**. That way, you would be _sure_ to kill me." He said, arching the gun's barrel to point directly at his heart. Her arms shook, as she looked down, then up into his eyes.

"T-That would be cheating." She managed to say.

"Why? I'm a _'plague upon humanity', _isn't that what they say? **Do it.**" He said with a cold glare, he appeared certain.

"...No. I won't kill somebody just 'cause they **ask** me to. You just wait till you're better, then we'll talk." She said, removing her rifle and setting it aside.

Raditz seemed puzzled by this, but didn't question her remark.

"Suit yourself." He wouldn't kill her, not if that meant with her death _his_ Launch would die. But he liked her optimism. She looked around the room, her eyes softening.

"She's been.. taking care of ya. Hasn't she?" He nodded. "I see..." Her emerald eyes took in his rough appearance, travelling up and down the bandages on his arms and legs. She frowned at the way his shoulders sagged and legs quivered, even though he attempted to stand proudly.

"I'll let you stay... on _one_ condition." She said, sternly. He blinked, waiting.

"You won't hurt my other self. I'll know, if you do. I mean it. If you lay _one_ dirty paw on her, I'll..._I'll **castrate** ya!"_ She said, loudly with emphasis.

Raditz had to smile at the girl's bravery. "Fair. Fine, you have my word. I won't hurt her." He said, tilting his head.

"Good. Because if you do, you'll have _me_ to deal with, an' I ain't as nice as her!" She said, huffing. Raditz groaned, sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Er.. do ya need... help?" She said, grimacing. A thin line of blood trickled from the wound, and meandered down the grooves in his abdomen.

"No." He said, turning away.

_It wouldn't feel right... she's not **her**._

"Alright, well, uh, don't mind me. I hafta get ready for a _date!"_

Raditz's eyes widened at the scent the girl gave off as she rummaged through her dresser.

_Ex_ _citement, anxiety...**arousal**...?!_

"You **will** wash yourself after." He stated, growling.

Launch gaped at him, offended.

_"S'cuse me?!"_

Raditz turned to her, his face contorted in anger. "I will not smell one _speck_ of some pitiful male's arousal on **My** Launch. _Do you understand?"_

His irises were dark as an abyss, red veins throbbed in the whites of his eyes as he turned, gripping the sheets. Launch stepped back, swallowing nervously.

_"Ok, ok! I will! _Not that it's any of **your** business what** I **do!" She snapped at him, pulling out the garments she planned to wear, then stormed off into the bathroom, slamming the door.

Raditz backed onto the bed, wincing. The pain had become unbearable, as his chest wound reopened in his rage. He lied down and turned his head, feeling the pain in his chest radiating, almost as if it were squeezing and draining the blood from him. _No..! I can't.. can't let another man soil her!_ He cringed, clutching his chest.

_Why...why does it hurt me like this? It's unlike any injury I've had before..._

_Could it be...?_ His eyes widened, searching his memory for something, something... _Was it what Bardock said?_

'_Females soften a man's heart and make it weak. You'd be wise to stay away from females until you're matured enough, boy. Else you'll never make it into the Saiyan Army.'_

_No. He shook his head vigorously. Father was wrong. It's only the wound that's aching...I can't fight to protect her like this..._ He choked down the offensive sound in his throat as hot tears welled in the corners of his eyes.

_Pathetic... I am nothing but a pathetic excuse for a Saiyan...I've failed her, just like I failed you, father..._

His grimace faded, into a blank expression, his eyes glazed over and stared at nothing, the many tears spilling down his cheeks. Launch grumbled as she zipped up the back of her short denim skirt, wearing a leather jacket over a low cut red tube top and tan stockings with shiny red pumps.

_That man can't tell me what to do with my body! I'll do whatever I want! I'm a free woman!_ She leaned into the mirror to check that her black eyeliner wasn't smudged and added another layer of red lipstick, then fluffed her hair sprayed and teased hair.

_I know what I want! I'm not like her, I'm a **real** woman! And Tien's gonna find out exactly what that means!_

Launch grinned back at herself in the mirror, feeling satisfied that she looked hot enough, she stepped out, grabbing her purse. She was about to run out the door when she glanced at the strange man one last time; curious, she walked over, thinking he was sleeping, but as she looked closer she saw blood running straight out of his wound and onto the floor in a waterfall and screamed.

_"Help! Master Roshi! There's a dyin' man in here! "_ She screeched, and ran downstairs out of the room, straight into Tien's arms and told him frantically about what she'd seen in the other room. He looked down at her, startled, and he and Master Roshi filed into the room and observed the Saiyan on the bed. Roshi looked him up and down and nodded.

"Mhm. Uh huh. You two get going. I have this under control." He said, without an ounce of fear and pulled up his sleeves, ready to start working on him.

"Now go, _scram!"_ He shouted, and Tien and Launch scrambled out of the room, wide-eyed.

* * *

He felt cool metal around his wrists, and his ankles, as Nappa awoke from his forced sleep. His eyes scanned the room, it was a dark basement, with bare, water-stained concrete walls and a bright light overhead that strained his eyes.

As he turned his head, his eyes widened, to look through the rusty metal cages before him. In them, beings that seemed humanoid either laid or sat on the floor, listless, or dragged their knuckles on the ground like primates, and as his eyes widened further he saw the telltale sight of a brown tail, partially hairless and cut off halfway, but he knew immediately what it was as he swallowed down his horrified realization.

"What do we have here?" Nappa turned his head quickly to the voice, going to open his mouth but it was stuck together with dried blood.

"I see, you have scented out your brethren." A man with long, greasy black hair said, coming forward to look down at him. Nappa fought against his shackles, struggling as he observed the man before him with a startling appearance.

"Oh. Do you recognize me? It has been quite some time, Nappa. We have been waiting for your return." He said, callously.

The man looking down at him had sharp, almond eyes, a long, narrow nose and black and white hair on his upper lip that came down in two twisted strands.

But that was not what was frightening to Nappa. _His eye...oh god... that eye...I could never forget..._

"Remember? Twenty-three years ago..."

Nappa nodded, yes he remembered. The eye on the man's forehead was unblinking, saw all, with its tiny quivering pupil and its fleshy whites striated with collapsed red veins. He couldn't tear his eyes away from it.

A glint caught his attention; a long, narrow knife. "Tell me, if you would, in your own words, what were you doing in this solar system?" The man said, as he sliced a hair thin cut in Nappa's thigh.

"We were..." _slice..._

"Ordered by Lord Frieza to.." _slice..._

"Check the Planet known as Mars for life..." He gasped, as the knife sliced ever deeper.

"W-When we got there, we couldn't find anything.." He felt the knife teasing at the artery in his thigh, and a vein was plucked like a string, cut clean in half.

"Until we checked inside the caves..." _Pluck._ "That's where we found them."

_Pluck._ "We killed them. Women, children, It didn't matter!" _Pluck._ Nappa growled, feeling enraged at the incessant plucking. "Just cut the **fucking** artery!" He bellowed, straining to get up from the table, his ropy muscles bulging against the binds around his chest.

"That would be too easy. You didn't allow my people such a quick ending, _did_ you?"

The man said, plucking again. Nappa sighed, "...No. I had to teach them. Show them. To not have mercy." _Pluck._

"The two young boys. Raditz and Prince Vegeta. They were _too_ young!" The knife stopped, playing at the surface of his femoral artery, scratching at the skin around it.

"As were the children you slaughtered." He said, _Scratch._

"I had to _teach_ them a lesson! We couldn't _allow_ fear! You don't understand!" _Scratch_. The man smiled, his unblinking eye focusing on the tear trickling down Nappa's cheek.

"You don't know what Frieza would have done had he found out those boys didn't see _every last_ **drop** of blood!"

The knife sliced the neighboring tendon there, causing Nappa to cry out.

"Your warriors were _strong!_ They fought well!" He fisted his hands, the veins in his throat bulging as he screamed.

"They were worthy opponents!" The man chuckled softly, hissing with his dry rattling breath.

"That's right! We _were_. We **are**. We **survived**." He seethed, his cold hands gripping Nappa by his shoulders.

"...And what of the changed..?" Nappa choked back a sob, looking away. The man slowly backed away, laughing. Then, receded into the shadows. Nappa cries grew longer as the blood trickled down his thigh, as he heard the soft grunts of the others around him as they attempted to calm him, to understand.

* * *

He paced back and forth in the tiny offered room, even with all the amenities he could ask for, Vegeta was tense. He pressed the button on his scouter, checking to see if there was any answer yet from Nappa. Could it be, he is truly...? Vegeta frowned, setting it down softly on the table. _It's hard to believe... I would have never guessed I would lose him one day, just **gone** like that..?_

He looked up to the window, where the dark sky was lit with stars. He sighed and cracked it open.

"Oh, uhh... heheh! It's a long story! I'll tell you later. You look like you've been training!"

"I've been busy, yeah... Things are pretty wild over at Master Roshi's! You'd never guess what happened!"

Vegeta heard voices outside, so loud and obnoxious it made him growl softly.

_That woman! What is she doing?_

He opened the window, quietly lifting himself up and out to land softly in the damp grass below with his bare feet.

_I'll let her know that it's too late to be cavorting about at this hour!_

He made his way across the yard, grumbling as they rattled on.

"Another Saiyan? Jeez! Where do they all come from?" She said, laughing. He stopped in his tracks to listen.

"I don't know, but this one was banged up _real_ bad! Almost **dead**! Shot _right through_ the **heart**!"

Vegeta gasped, straightening.

"That's crazy!"

"Oh yeah, and guess who's on a hot date tonight!"

Vegeta growled, tired of listening to their idiotic banter, he swiftly moved across the yard.

"Tien and Launch!"

"Whaaa? No way!"

**"Enough!"** He interrupted, standing across from them where they had been happily chatting at the doorway. Bulma turned and glared at him, as if she were offended. The scar-faced human male with her was also surprised, and stood in front of her as if in some pathetic show of protection.

"Who are you to just butt in like that, huh?" Yamcha said, arrogantly.

"Oh, Yamcha d-don't worry about him! What is it Vegeta?" She whispered sharply, pulling away from Yamcha.

"I came out here to tell you two to stop that irritating racket! ...But now, I **demand answers!**" He snapped, and as Bulma looked at him, she could almost see his eyebrows twisting upwards-almost worriedly.

"Why, what is it..?" She asked, her voice softening. He shook his head, hardening his features.

"The Saiyan you spoke of, who is he?" He spat, towards the male weakling.

"I think his name is Raditz..." Yamcha responded, bristling.

_Raditz?!_ Vegeta gave pause.

_I assumed he was already **dead** when I heard the transmission from his scouter, that's what it sounded like._

"...Do you want to go visit him, Vegeta?" Bulma asked, and he saw the glint of pity in her azure eyes.

"No! He can _rot in **hell** for all I fucking care!"_ Vegeta responded, snarling, and turned back.

_"Really...?"_ She breathed, with a hint of sadness in her voice. Vegeta stormed away, jumping back up into his window and slamming it shut.

"Who shoved a stick up _his_ ass?" Yamcha said, with a laugh, but Bulma only stared on, wondering.

_Doesn't he care **at all**?_

"Hey, don't forget about me, babe!" He said, leaning down to kiss her.

"Oh kami! Have you been **drinking** Yamcha!?" Bulma said, backing away and covering her nose at the stench of his malted breath.

"Uhh, yeah I had a few..."

"Well, guess I better drive _then!"_ She snapped, turning around and storming through the doorway to get her keys.

* * *

"Um, are you sure we should be going this fast?" Tien said nervously from the passenger seat. His eyes widened, with one hand tugging at the collar of his dark purple dress shirt.

Launch cackled, cheering, "_Woo!_ This is the way to live, baby!" She cranked on the gas, squealing the tires as she barreled down the road in the shiny red convertible they borrowed from Yamcha for the night.

"Maybe we should be more careful with Yamcha's car, he used his college fund to-"

"**Burn rubber**! Yeah! Haha!" Launch laughed, and Tien sighed, resigning to the fact that he was either going to die on this date or have his nuts stomped unceremoniously if he didn't. They pulled into the Drive-In movie theater and he felt a little more relaxed as she slowed down the car and pulled through so they could pay for the parking spot. Tien handed her the money, reminded of Master Roshi's advice that women had to be spoiled, and Launch took his half and gave him the remainder back.

"Here, save that for your drinks!" She said, smiling, and he nodded, agreeing with her as they found a parking spot and got out to go purchase snacks while waiting for the movie to start. Tien tried to keep calm when he heard catcalling from across the lot, "Hey Launch, How you doin'?" Tien glared at the posse of greasy looking men coming her way, feeling his ki rising. "Oh, leave me alone, Tommy I'm on a date." She said, as if bragging.

Tien took her elbow and attempted her to usher her away. "Whose this cue ball?"

He looked to them, narrowing his eyes. "_Yowza!_ I'm **scared**! Lookit, those **3** eyes!" He said, backing away. The greasers took off back to their car talking excitedly about his 3 eyes, forgetting all about Launch. "Wow, that was great!" She laughed, and Tien felt almost cocky, he placed his hand on her lower back and pulled her closer to him, earning a hum of approval from her as they walked up to the snack kiosk.

Launch giggled excitedly, "One large popcorn and a rum and coke." He looked to her with apprehension, lifting his eyebrows.

"Make that _two_." She said, winking.

"I don't drink, Launch.. I.."

"Oh, Live a little! Just one won't kill ya!" She said, and they placed their money on the counter. He smiled a little and nodded, feeling nervous. "Ok. I guess it might be fun to try." Launch leaned up and kissed his cheek approvingly, and he had to blush as everyone around them could see. He lowered his eyes and took his drink, sniffing it with suspicion.

"It's good! Drink up!" She said, tilting her head back and gulping hers down. "O-okay..." He said, taking a hesitant sip. It _was_ pretty good.

They went back to the car and sat down, waiting for the movie to start.

"I'm glad that we're doing this Launch, I think it's important that we get to know each other better. I have a lot of things I want to-" "Shh! The movie's startin'!" She said, and tilted her head onto his shoulder, as the speakers roared.

**"And now, for our feature presentation..."**

Tien frowned, feeling a bit frustrated. Launch tugged on his arm and nudged him to put his arm around her shoulders and he did, blushing as she rested her head on his chest. He blew the chemical scent of her heavily hairsprayed hair out of his nostrils and ignored it, focusing on the start of the movie.

**"Blood on the Tracks 2"** an ominous voice began, with the dark screen showing only a woman tied to train tracks struggling, as a cowboy walked up to her slowly, the spurs on his boots spinning. Launch squirmed in her seat.

"Oh he's so dreamy!" A girl said from one of the other cars, and he heard Launch sigh, putting her hand on his leg as the man in all black walked up to the girl and started talking in a gruff voice.

_"Now what did I tell you would happen, Mary Sue?" "Clide! Please don't do this!"_

Tien's eyes darted nervously at the screen as a train came into the picture.

_"I told you not to even talk to him, and what did **you** do? " "I'm sorry Clide! I have always loved you!"_

Launch clutched his leg tighter, digging in her popcorn with the other.

_"This is what you get. I'm sorry it had to end this way."_

Tien swallowed.

_Are they **really** going to show this?_

"I would never cheat on Clide Wallace!" Another girl yelled, earning the other's agreement. Launch laughed, through a mouthful of popcorn.

"Ha! That dumb broads gettin' what was comin' to her!"

Tien gulped as a splash of red guts covered the screen, and everyone yelled out for more blood, including Launch. "Isn't this great Tien? You're gonna _love_ this!" She said happily, snuggling closer to him. He could only gulp down his drink in hope that it could make him somehow appreciate at least _some_ elements of the gory film...

* * *

"Oh man, I've never seen so much blood..."

Krillin said, making a gagging sound.

"That's nothing, you seem to forget I had to patch you and Goku up before.."

Voices faded in and out as Raditz cracked his eyes open to see the old man sitting before him and the shorter bald man, who looked about ready to vomit as he held many bloody rags in his hands.

"It's alright there Mr. Raditz, Don't worry, we stopped the bleeding just in time. You had a tear in your aorta wall. Now, you cannot have any more stress, or else that baby's gonna burst."

Raditz blinked flatly as he observed him, then turned away.

"Just rest up now, we'll make sure to have Launch keep a close eye on it."

Roshi said, and the two made their way out of the room, shutting off the lights and closing the door quietly.

_"..Do you think we should give him a Senzu bean? "_ Krillin whispered.

"Ohoho No...! Let's just be glad he's incapacitated at the moment..."

Raditz heard the conversation and scoffed, he was tired of hearing all the earthlings in the house's nonsensical chattering day in and out. The only time he truly had peace was when She was there...He closed his eyes and squeezed them shut painfully.

_Launch... I hope you are ok... I'm sorry I couldn't stop her..._

* * *

Bulma sat at the bar, tapping her suede Blue Louis Vuittons with bright red soles impatiently as she sipped on a plain Pepsi and waited for Yamcha to come out of the bathroom. They hadn't even been there that long before he had just two more drinks and that was enough to set off the gorge in his stomach that had been building all day, and she grimaced in disgust as she could hear him retching when she last went to check on him.

"Well, this has turned out to be a _great_ evening!" She sighed, twirling the straw in her drink. She stared at the sticky rings of beer on the bar, and saw Yamcha's phone that he had forgotten. _Bzz Bzz_, it vibrated, the screen lighting up.

She tapped her foot, looking away, irritated. _Bzz Bzz_

She heard his phone go off again and went to turn it on silent, Bulma looked at the message flashing across the screen, only briefly.

_"Where are you?"_ From someone named F. She furrowed her brows, clicking it shut.

_It's none of my business. I'm not the kind of insecure woman who feels the need to snoop through my boyfriend's phone._ Bulma scoffed to herself, thinking of her and Vegeta's little argument about her bikini. She found herself smirking at the ridiculousness of the whole situation, she still was in disbelief he bought her whole shtick about being a _Princess_.

She chuckled softly, twirling the straw thoughtfully.

"Ugh. I'm ready to go home. I'm just gonna grab a taxi." Bulma was caught off guard, she jumped a little at Yamcha's sullen voice behind her.

"You sure? I don't mind taking you. I could stay for a little bit and make sure you're alright..?" She said, concerned, standing and taking his arm to steady him.

"Uh... no. I don't want to mess up your new car. This has been a real bust, huh? Two bad dates in a row. I wouldn't blame you for being mad." He said, groggily sitting to check his phone and call a cab. His eyes lit up at the screen, and he started typing.

"I'm not mad, Yamcha, honest! It's _no big deal._ We'll have fun next time!" She said, optimistic.

He nodded, half listening.

"Um, Yamcha?" He looked up, closing his phone quickly.

"What was that? Sorry." Bulma chewed her bottom lip nervously, wondering about the message from F. and if that's who he was talking to.

"Oh, nothing... I'll just, just..get going..." She said, nodding to herself and gathered up her purse. His phone started ringing incessantly as they were about to hug goodbye.

"Sorry. Just a sec." He stood up, quickly and walked over to the noisy side of the bar to talk.

Bulma stood just staring, walking hesitantly over, dragging one heel after the other.

"I'll let you know when! Yeah, heheh...See you soon. You too. Bye." He hung up, a small smile on his face. Bulma backed up as he came back over, not wanting him to know she heard.

"E-everything ok?" She asked, swallowing. "Yeah, that's the taxi. They'll be here soon. Why don't you just get going Bulma, really I'm ok!" He said, and started ushering her out, nearly pushing her out the door.

"**Fine**! If you want to get me out of your hair so bad, then _I'll go!"_ She choked out, feeling a sob building in her throat. Bulma walked briskly to her car, brushing off his attempts to stop her.

"Bulma!?" He said, standing haplessly at the corner, his head hanging down and hair all in disarray, with bags building under his eyes. She hadn't noticed just how sick he looked, like he had lost five pounds. Bulma frowned, turning the key in the ignition and drove away.

_I can see when I'm no longer wanted,_

She thought, feeling an ache building in her chest as she watched him from the rearview mirror.

She came to the stoplight, glancing back a moment to see the car that was picking him up, a banged up looking hover sedan. She couldn't see the face of the driver, only the faint halo of blonde hair, then, their faces met for a lingering, passionate kiss under the sparkling city lights through Bulma's tear filled eyes as she turned away and gasped, her voice coming out and shuddering for swallows for air.

_No.. he... couldn't!_ Bulma clutched the wheel tighter, pressing hard on the gas and lurching forward, only wanting to go home and forget this whole night _even happened! I'll just curl up in bed, and **never** wake up!_ She cried, turning up the radio to drown out the sound, and drove home.

* * *

_"Oh Clide... I have never wanted something so bad as I want you, right now! **Take** me!"_ The lustful voice of the woman on the screen begged, making Tien gulp as Launch glanced at him to see his reaction.

_"Susanna! I **have** to have you!" _ His throat bobbed as Launch turned and kissed him on the cheek, stroking circles on his chest. The other car windows were becoming steamed up already as he noticed not long into the movie, and he had tried his hardest to ignore Launch's hand climbing ever higher up his leg and stroking his thigh.

"Tien..." She whispered, kissing his neck and stroking him up further. He tried to pretend he wasn't feeling her hand exploring the shape of him and trailing her fingers up and down his length, but his body's firm reaction gave him away. He clenched the armrest, squeezing his eyes shut. "Just relax, let me help you..." She unzipped his pants and he felt a rush of cold air and gasped as she took him in her hand and gently stroked him, kissing his collarbone and moving so that her body was hovering over his.

"L-Launch what are you doing?" He hadn't even noticed her legs were now bare of her stockings as she stroked him upwards and kissed him, he couldn't help himself but to give in to the sensations as they grew more intense, she rubbed her wet slit with him, wetting his shaft and he felt her slick warmth sliding against him and shuddered, grabbing her by her hips as she moaned and pushed her entrance to swallow him to the ridge of his swollen head with a soft cry.

"I want you to love me Tien, please make love to me..." She said softly, her cheeks flushed as he gazed at her in aroused disbelief, not knowing what to say he could only pant and lick his lips with his desire. He surprised himself with how badly he wanted to agree, if only to feel more of her.

"I-if... you're sure this is what you want, " He answered, gulping as she became more slippery around him and he gripped the armrests, waiting for her to plunge that warmth down until it surrounded him completely.

"Yes... Tien, please.."

She whispered, and placed her arms on his shoulders and sighed as she allowed him to enter her further, he gasped as she began to encase him, slowing with a small mewl as she felt him beginning to stretch her walls. He bucked his hips and grit his teeth with the anxiety that began to build in him, he wanted her, wanted to be fully inside of her, but he didn't want to hurt her. Tien put his hands on her hips and gradually pressed further into her, kissing her mouth tenderly and groaning at the tightness of her body.

He felt her beginning to soften temptingly around him as they kissed, and matched the soft movements of his lips with an achingly slow rhythm as she slid herself further down him with every gentle thrust, making his way further.

Tien looked to Launch, and couldn't lie to himself anymore. This is what he truly wanted. He gripped her plush bottom in his hands and pulled her down onto him so that he could fill her completely, feeling her walls give and clench around him, Launch gasped at the sudden fullness where she had been hollow.

"I can't help it. I _need_ to _feel_ you, Launch. I want to **bury** myself in you." He growled, his eyes widening as he admitted the revelation, making her cry out as he lifted her and lowered her down onto him fully. He felt something clawing up from within, a sense of primal masculinity he had never allowed himself to feel.

Tien groaned in his chest at the sight of her, then found himself lost in the haze of passion, lifting his body off the seat and positioning himself so that he could move more freely, she spread her legs and rested them on the armrests as he came up to meet her, entering her fully and taking shallow thrusts and buried his entire length deep inside of her. He pulled down her top with his teeth and kissed her goosebump prickled chest, her breasts were high and firm with excitement as he rolled her pale sanguine nipple on his tongue, nibbling lightly as he teased her. Launch's lithe hips rocked across his thighs and she moaned as the pressure built within her nearly to bursting as she was balanced on his slickness gliding in and out of her, until he found that untapped pool of her desire and she moaned as it escaped her with a hot splash onto his thighs.

He groaned with lust, at the sensation of warm liquid pooling down and around him as Launch cried out,_ "Oh Tien, more! Don't stop! "_ This made him thrust even more fervently, the feeling around him was almost too much at all once; she was so open and ready for him now that he could feel a barrier in her as he dared to kiss her there with every hard clap of their bodies.

Condensation fogged the windows as their breaths became heavier, as the feeling of their joining became harmonious. She rode him; her sublime body above him as she tilted her head of golden blonde locks back and gyrated her hips on him as he pumped upward, craning his head back and panting with exertion. Launch clutched him by his firm shoulders, Tien stared into her eyes and they kissed fervently; not able to speak as he felt himself reaching that height as well, as Launch cried out as her walls began to fluctuate around him, the feeling sent waves of pleasure throughout her body so intense she was moaning wantonly with each stroke that stoked the fire building within. She squeezed her eyes shut and gave herself over to the quickening throbs; her body becoming weak with the overwhelming sensations. She cried out as her orgasm hit her and resonated throughout her body, the only sensation she knew was of his touch and the thrusts that grew more wild and passionate as he became further aroused by her climax.

Tien no longer cared how firmly he grabbed her hips as he brought her down onto him, grinding together with her and meeting as one. He pulled her down to the very base of his shaft and shuddered as he felt the hot coils of semen shooting up into her and filling her as they tangled their tongues together, he quivered and pulsed up again, pushing the barrier of her cervix firmly, his fluids flowing down her pillowy ridges, bubbling out around the base as she collapsed on top of him, panting and kissing his lips softly.

"Launch... I ..." he panted, still blinking with the realization of what had just happened. "Don't talk. Just kiss me." She whispered, and he did, feeling his eye-rolling to the back of his skull and the sensation of the throbbing slowing to a dull thrum that resonated all throughout him, shuddering.

Launch pulled back, staring; her emerald eyes wide with surprise as she had felt it too. "What...was _that?"_ She gasped.

"No..! It's...we need to get out of here!" Tien panted, his vision blurry. Launch righted herself, as did he, lowering down the top and allowing the crisp summer air of night to flow over them, as the credits rolled across the screen.

**To Be Continued...**


	8. Celestial Beings

Vegeta laid awake, listening to the calming sounds of the blue planet's night life, the susurration of crickets chirping, and the faint din of the city, a low rumble in the distance, but he still could not fall to sleep. He turned onto his back, feeling the sharp tinge of pain in his ribs. He rubbed the bandage where the odd purple haired man had affixed medical tape over the bandage after folding back in the torn muscle and sewing it up skillfully. It was not a fatal wound, it had most likely happened when the large blast hit the water and he was hit with a chunk of the submarine's hull.

Vegeta tried to think back, tried to piece together the events and attempted to mentally map which way the blast had sent Nappa. He resolved that tomorrow he would return to the site and do a second sweep. Just in case. It would be unfortunate to lose one of the last of his kind simply because of his own incompetence to recover him; or at the very least his corpse so he could give him a proper burial. Nappa had once told him the proposed directions for a Saiyan funeral, and he mulled over the details as he heard a loud, jarring sound coming into the driveway.

The sound was only an unfamiliar sound of dissonant chords and wailing to his ears, that made him cringe as he could hear her wailing along to the music, which was in some language he couldn't even understand.

_The woman's back so soon?_ He sat up in bed, he was wide awake and couldn't sleep anyways, and the sound of that horrible singing was enough to make him jump right out of bed. The rumbling engine shut off, as did the music to his relief. He heard the jangling of the keys in her hand, then the sound of the tumbler unlocking. A soft, sniffling sound.

Vegeta rubbed his face, feeling agitated and weary as the woman made her way into the kitchen, and he heard the refrigerator door opening. His stomach rumbled as he looked down at it, then placed his hand there, frowning at the annoying, demanding feeling. He sighed heavily, standing, the white blanket falling around his naked skin. He picked up the black pants with his tail and glared at them._ I don'__t know what these earthlings consider appropriate, that woman was only inches away from exposing herself to me. _He shook his head, shaking out the incessant, nagging images that made his body almost want to betray him. _Vulgar woman._

"UGH! Don't we have any fucking Vodka? I need to get so trashed I can't think!" A snarling, feminine voice roared from the inside of the white beast, as Vegeta stood and observed her quietly for a moment. "Hmm, there we go!" She took out the pitcher of strawberry daquiri from earlier and tilted her head back, then poured the blended mixture straight down her gullet.

"This oughta make me forget all about that cheating bastard! Fucking Yamcha! I can't believe him! He didn't even have the decency to wait until I was gone to start **_shoving_** _his_ _tongue_ down her throat! Maybe that's better I just see it now, _who knows_ how long he's been keeping this from me!" She rattled on, before gulping down more of the sweet syrupy goodness.

"Hn..." Vegeta made a soft growl, almost curious in nature as he observed her strange activity.

Bulma jumped, gulping down a swallow of alcohol so large her throat should have bulged. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and stuttered.

"Oh! V-Vegeta! What are you doing up at this hour?" She said, righting herself and swinging the fridge door shut, then looking through the cupboards for an actual glass for her drink.

"Well, currently listening to all your racket. I haven't been able to achieve sleep status." He said, his thick bronzed biceps crossed over his bare chest, his tail wrapped around him to hold up the loose sweatpants that had been the earthling Yamcha's. He didn't care about her silly problems with the earthling man, all he was concerned about was how soon he would get to eat.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I've been having a bad night... Um.. I'm sure you heard. Normally, it's _much_ quieter around here!" Bulma said apologetically, as she finished pouring her daiquiri, topping it with whipped cream and strawberries. Vegeta sniffed at the sweet smell and licked his lips.

"You must be hungry, that's the only reason _you'd_ come out to see _me_." She said, almost allowing her friendly tone to slip. He turned up the corner of his mouth just slightly and strolled closer to her, tilting his head at her as she sipped her drink.

"Want some?" She offered, pushing the glass towards him. Vegeta jerked his chin back in offense, at the idea of sharing from the same glass. "Here." She sighed, popping a clean straw in. Vegeta took the offered glass and just ignored the straw completely, burying his face in the whipped cream and gulping it down without hesitation. He pulled back, his eyes widened as whipped cream dripped from his sharp, upturned nose. Bulma snickered into her hand as he blinked in sheer amazement, his eyebrows raising and crinkling his smooth brow.

"It's _fermented..?" _He asked in wonder, licking his lips. "It's alcohol, silly. Haven't you ever had it before?" She said, taking back the glass and sipping daintily from the straw.

"Of _course_ I've had it. But it never tasted like _that_." The sweetness was so overbearing it almost fogged his perception of the alcohol's taste, normally alcohol was a rancid slurry of fermented fruit, and at times even had dead bugs and seeds in it.

He was distracted, thinking about the terrible times on Frieza's ship when he had forced the foul liquid down just to knock himself unconscious. He felt a sensation on his nose and snuffed at the light tickle. Bulma wiped the cream off his nose and popped her finger in her mouth, sucking it. He allowed his eyes to linger on her a second, narrowing suspiciously, then wiped his nose with the back of his hand and licked it, rubbing his nose again and cleaning his hand until it was gone. Bulma giggled at the almost feline action, that he would hate to know was the same type of thing little Scratch would do.

She wiped her drying tears off her cheek with the back of her hand, genuinely smiling.

"Would you like your own glass?" Bulma asked, no longer feeling as upset.

He shook his head, no.

"I need solid sustanence. Where are your kitchen slaves, I'd have them sample it beforehand." He said, darting his eyes. He hadn't liked the trick she pulled on him earlier with the spicy food. It burnt his tounge and numbed the tastebuds for awhile it was so spicy. Bulma stared at him with an astounded look.

"Um... no, we don't have slaves here. Sorry. Our world has outlawed slavery. But don't worry, I'll try it for you." She said, a bit brighter.

Vegeta scoffed, shaking his head at the foolishness of this planet, any castle should have slaves, and _many_ of them at hand in case he decided to take his anger out on something breathing. Bulma held her tongue and rummaged through the fridge. _Something cold, something **not spicy.**.. Oh!_ Bulma stood, picking up a large, green oblong object.

"What _is that?_ It looks like your mud ball planet." He said, with a snort.

"Watermelon! It's a yummy fruit! You'll like it! I want some too!" She said chipperly, then went to the counter and pulled out a large, silver butcher knife from a drawer. Vegeta's eyes widened at the glint of sharp steel, and he quickly flew to her back, stealthily grabbing her wrist and taking the weapon out of her hand. He placed it behind his back; in keeping her vital organs away from harm, her backside pressed against his groin unintentionally.

Bulma gasped, one second she was holding the knife, and in the next she had her wrist clutched in his hand; in mid air, in his warm embrace. Still trying to regain her breath; she panted, feeling that her fragile neck was in a firm, protective lock in his bicep.

"Wh-why... did you... do that?" She panted, her head of mussed blue strands falling back, and setting to rest against his chest.

"_Fool!_ You could have been **_seriously_** injured! Are you so daft, that you would just as soon eviscerate yourself? You have no protective armour, no guard!" He growled into the nape of her neck, pulling her tighter until his form melded against hers like perfect pieces of a puzzle.

"It's _just_ a knife for cutting vegetables, Vegeta! I'm not inept! I know how to use it!" She squirmed, rubbing her bountiful asset against him. Vegeta pulled back from her briskly, guiding her safely away. "Nonsense! Sit and drink your fermented sugar drink. I'll cut the fruit." He walked her to the table, pulling out the chair and firmly seating her, then pushing the cool glass into her hand. Bulma sat, stunned as he turned away and started dicing up the watermelon with skill.

_Oh... I see. He was protecting me... In his own way. _She smiled, and breathed a deep sigh of relief.

"Thank you, Vegeta. I appreciate your concern." She said warmly, sipping her drink.

"It's _of_ no concern. Only my duty. You were undefended, and I defended you. If your earthling men were stronger, you would have your own royal guard sworn to you at all times. As a princess, your life should be of more importance." He growled out, with one last hard slice into the watermelon.

"Here." He said, placing the cutting board on the table. Bulma took one of the long, triangular slices and munched happily. Vegeta nabbed one quickly, filling his mouth to the edge of the rind and quickly disposing of the mealy, pink flesh. The rinds began piling up on the cutting board in lighting speed as he devoured them. Bulma took another and nibbled.

"Good, huh?" She said, as she was reminded of Goku in their early days, when he was just a cute little boy and he still had so many new things to discover, each new thing was an enlightening experience for him. Vegeta's hard eyes were dark and glossy, but bore no joy. "Mmnn." He growled, scraping the rind clean with his teeth.

_I see that part of him is like Goku too. He was never a good mealtime conversationalist._

"Any more?" He grunted, tossing the rind into the large pile. Bulma frowned, looking at the piece in her hand. Water ran down her hand and to her wrist, as she watched his eyes follow the pink line.

"No... we don't have anymore. Sorry." He licked his lips, a flash of a white canine shined as he made a low, rumbling sound.

"We could.. share?" She asked, tilting her head of blue locks that was almost a light lavender hue in the dark light from the kitchen window. He tilted his head back at her, as if he understood the gesture and was communicating it back.

"I don't mind." She responded, and broke the piece easily with her delicate pink fingers and held it up to him. Vegeta took her gently by the elbow, and lowered his head, sniffing. Bulma's heart raced as she observed his odd actions.

The pink line of fluid was about to drip onto her royal garb. He caught it with his mouth, quickly swiping the fluid up off her arm with his tounge, taking the fruit out of her hand swiftly and lapping up the juice pooling in her palm, his dark eyes glinting as he caught her stare. Bulma felt tingles shooting straight from her hand, and down to the pit of her belly as she felt his warm tongue licking at the liquid in her palm, lightly tickling.

Her legs quivered and she almost wanted to jerk her arm away and slap him; she was so startled. But she couldn't, she could only swallow with a suddenly parched throat.

"Vegeta... you.." He then took her hand and licked between her fingers with a flicking tounge, his eyes not leaving hers as she gasped, feeling an aching in her breasts, her nipples hardened as if yearning to have the same treatment. Bulma crossed her legs together firmly to stop herself from becoming aroused any further and turned her face away, squeezing her eyes shut.

_This is too...too **weird!**_

"There. Your garb is now safe from ruin. Be more careful." He said flatly, pulling back and swiping that devilish red tongue across his lips, then munching on his watermelon as if nothing odd had even happened. Bulma was finally able to regain her breath, and slumped her body against the chair as if exhausted. _One more minute of that, and I don't know if I could hold it all in! _She huffed, crossing her arms.

"You can't just.. just _lick_ someone like that!" "Hm, why not? It seems to have rattled you." He said innocently, tilting his head. All he had intended to do was clean her, as he would have himself. His eyes gleamed with curiosity. Bulma stood quickly, her eyes widening in dread as she felt an unmistakable warmth pooling in her panties, then dripping down her thighs. Vegeta's eyes quickly darted down, as if following the minuscule trail down her leg, that was concealed by the skirt. He scented the air, sharply; then every hair on his head seemed to bristle.

Bulma cringed, feeling embarrassed she pressed her thighs together and glared at him. "Smell something you like, _Rover?"_ She spat, backing away. He grinned, walking forward. He didn't answer, but the soft chuckle he gave told her everything she needed to know. She'd seen such a hungry look before, perhaps in the eyes of a lion stalking it's prey. Bulma clenched her jaw, determined to not show her fear, she used her biting wrath to shield herself.

"Are you going to lick _that_ up too?" She snapped, scowling. Vegeta only kept walking even closer to her, until she was backed up to the wall. "Would you like me to? Your majesty?" He asked darkly; a flash of forbidden hunger sparkling in his eyes, as he licked his gleaming white canines.

His words shot through every fiber of her being. Bulma gasped, shameful thoughts flashed through her mind of pressing him down to his knees on the floor with her high heel on his shoulder, holding her by her bottom as he licked upwards to clean her..._"N-no!_ Get away from me!" She cried out suddenly, tears spilling down her cheeks, she ran.

He turned, slowly. Vegeta started followed the trail of her scent, then paused, as it was now tainted with her foul smelling tears, as she retreated to her room and slammed the door. He growled to himself, turning angrily. "That vixen!" He shook his head, fisting his hands at the roots of his hair, as if desiring to pull the distracting fog of lust violently from his mind.

_I would NEVER lower myself to clean that human woman in such a place! Why would I even **entertain** such a **disgusting** thing?! _He swallowed the saliva that had pooled in his mouth, and stormed back to his own bedroom determined to sleep,

_**n****ow**._ He would make himself immune to that vulgar woman's misleading scent.

* * *

Tien and Launch rode back to Kame House in silence, as she looked on at his cringing form worriedly from the driver's seat. "What's going on Tien? You ok?" She said softly, placing her hand on his arm as he was hunched over, shaking.

"Let's get ya some fresh air, hun." She got out of the car and walked around to the passenger's side, feeling a dull throb of soreness in her abdomen as she walked. She would have never wanted to admit to him that at her age she was still a virgin, but she had her reasons, not that she wanted to think of that right now.

Tien opened the door, practically falling out onto the sand. "I have to go where it's safe. I have to get away!" He grunted out, and as Launch approached him, she felt apprehensive, his entire body was quivering and a golden aura was beginning to glow around him. Launch knew better than to touch him with his ki coming out onto the surface of his skin like that, so she knelt next to him, and softly whispered.

"It's ok, Tien. I'm here. You're alright, darlin'. " Tien looked up at her and cried out in pain, his eyes wider than she had ever seen them, almost illuminated. She felt her heart aching with symphathy for him.

"Look into my eyes. Shh. Breathe. You have to breathe, Tien." Launch leaned so close that her face almost touched his, staring into his quivering, dark brown pupils. He took a deep. shaky breath, gazing back into her eyes. He exhaled, his ki calming gradually until it was so dim that Launch felt it was safe to lean forward and kissed him softly on the lips, feeling the hot sparks still lingering there, but he didn't return her kiss. He pulled back, clutching her firmly by her shoulders.

"Stay here, Launch. This is something I have to do alone. I don't want to hurt you, but I don't think we should see eachother like this ever again...What we did... was wrong." She backed away, startled.

"What...Whaddya mean, Tien? Where are you going?" She whimpered, fearing the way his voice had become altered, becoming deeper and guttural for a moment.

"Don't follow me, please...Launch, I..." He groaned, looking away. A stream of tears fell down his cheek, as he couldn't bear to look at her horrified expression any longer.

_I'm a monster... She's better off without me! _Large veins pulsed in his temples, bulging and knotting in his throat as he looked away from her.

_"No!" _Launch protested, grabbing for his arm, before he tore it away, pedaling back from her as if stung. Tien stood, shakedly and bent his legs, leaping into the air and taking off into the dark sky, as Launch watched him become a small dot. She felt her chest aching with pain; her mind racing frantically with panicked thoughts.

_Why? What's wrong with him? Where did he go? Why can't I help him?_

Tears trickled down her cheeks, as she stood and looked to the darkened pink house, the galaxy behind her, bright with stars and an eerie violet glow of red and blue aura, melding together.

* * *

_Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill them all..._

A voice resounded in his mind, as Tien flew. Falling off balance, he teetered sideways, and then fell, crashing through the forest below; his body plummeting through the canopy, breaking branches, tearing at his clothes as he fell, then landed flat on the ground in a heap. His eyes rolled back in his skull as his entire body quivered with tension.

_Kill_. _There are_ _two_ _you__ must kill, they are useless to me. You'll kill them. **Except** one, bring her to **me**. You **know** of whom I speak._ "No..." Tien groaned, getting up onto his hands. "I can't do that, I **won't**... " He groaned, feeling his body contorting, as shapes shifted beneath his clothes in the darkness, rippling; distorting the shape of the man, who lie suffering on the ground.

"I did as you asked, is that not enough? _Why_ must we do this? What did they _ever_ do deserve to this?!" Tien cried out in pain, then squeezed his eyes shut and whimpered, holding his pulsating head in his hands.

_Launch, I'm so sorry... I just can't. I can't hurt you like this, just being with me... will hurt you._ His whimpers turned to pants, as at last, her pulled his hands away, and his third eye opened. The tiny pupil slowly turned green, and glowed. Tien's eyes all opened, and his tension relaxed, his face, suddenly slack.

_Good. Good. Feel the power. Feel the power of the Celestials, coursing through your veins._"Yes. Yes, My Lord." He whispered gruffly, then took off, running at a great speed, Tien lept and bound through the woods like a predator, before leaping up, and landing on the back of a Sabertooth Tiger, and tearing out it's throat with his bare hands, slaughtering it for the sheer purpose of enacting violence.

He shuddered, pulling back from the warm masses of flesh and blood his hands were buried in, panting heavily. He closed his eyes, then stilled, as the sound of a door opening made tears run down his cheeks.

"Who's out there? Hello?" A voice called, and Tien gripped the sinew in his hands tighter, shaking his head, refusing.

_Do it. Do it **now**. They do not matter._

"I swear I heard something... Whoever's out there, you can't hide!" The person said, and walked into the woods, shining a flashlight.

"You think I'm afraid? I have a shotgun! You'd better get off my property!"

_Go._ The shotgun boomed, and there was a bright golden light, both from the barrel, and the beast storming towards him; as the man attempted to back away. There was a struggle, then the flashlight rolled away, and all was dark, as a gutteral tearing ripped through wetness, a muffled cry, then his laughter, which turned into a sob.

"Please... don't make me do this..."

_It's too late. Now, finish them all off._

"Yes... yes, My Lord." Tien whispered, and his hulking shadow moved in the darkness, making a path for the small cottage in the woods.

* * *

Launch walked slowly to the house and shut the door with a soft click, her head hanging, heavy with thoughts as she shuffled up the stairs, to the small attic room that her other side shared with Raditz. She opened the door carefully, seeing only his dark shadow in the bed as she shedded her garments, and walked to the bathroom, turning on the hot water to wash herself as she had promised the saiyan.

She felt messy with the results of her and Tien's lovemaking, so she stepped in and closed the curtain, then arched her neck back in the warm stream, and allowed her makeup to run, before applying her facewash and scrubbing her face with a soft cloth, until it was clean of the black tears that had marred her cheeks, and the red lipstick that had smeared.

_Was... it all worth it? I don't know. I don't feel like a different woman.. it hurts, but I feel the same. I don't feel like **his**. I took what I wanted from him, had it been his idea, I don't know that it would have even happened._ Tien was such a stubborn man, he had refused for such a long time to stay in Kame House because he was a student of Master Crane, and always would be, but after a few years he had slowly became closer with everyone; as much as he could with his shut-in personality, and although he had never changed his colors, he was still thought to be part of the team.

Over the years they had become closer, after she had nursed him back to health after King Piccolo's defeat, and became familiar with his daily visits to Kame House for training, she'd even grown to tolerate Chiaoutzu, and grew fond of him. Launch knew that Tien liked her, she had accused him of it when he so stubbornly refused to stay at Kame House, going as far as to build his own house, far up in the mountains.

Launch lowered her face, pouring shampoo in her hand and spreading it through her darkened locks, washing out the hairspray's stiffness._ It feels like he doesn't trust me, he couldn't even tell me what was wrong. We should share everything, shouldn't we?_

Launch took her sponge, and soaped her body, her chest still marked with fading bruises, felt the soreness between her thighs and sobbed. _I... feel **dirty**. Used. I don't feel loved. I should be in Tien's arms right now. Not.. all alone._

Launch felt her tender folds, cleaned them gently with her fingers and washed the ashen blonde curls there and sighed, she still ached for more... She switched the cool water on, and rinsed herself clean until her hair was a curtain around her, and she began to shiver.

Launch stepped out and wrapped herself in a towel, going over to the dresser and retrieving her grey sleep tank top and white panties. She wrapped the towel around her hair and dressed, knowing that Raditz was asleep by his loud snore. She picked up her black panties smeared with white fluids off the floor, and tossed them in the trash, shutting the lid, as if that could make her forget the whole terrible mistake had even happened.

Launch dried her hair, allowing it to fall in damp coils down her back and went and sat beside the sleeping saiyan on the bed, watching his relaxed face as he slept, sighing. _He's so big, so... masculine._ Launch let her eyes rake across his form, across his bandaged chest, down his abdomen with velvety, soft black hairs trailing down to the loosely slung towel over his lap, his legs were spread in a way that reminded her of little Goku when he slept, with one leg hanging off the bed.

She smiled, at hearing him make soft grunts and seeing his face twitch in his sleep. His lips moved, panting out hot breaths as the inert form beneath the white towel slowly became thicker and longer. Her eyes widened, and shot back to his face.

"My Launch... Launch...anh.." A spike shot down her back as he moaned her name, as he became hardened under the towel, and it started to gradually lift to her amazement.

His hips jerked just slightly in his sleep, twitching; his abdomen flexing as if strained. His entire body started quivering, tossing his head back and forth as the dream grew more intense. Launch backed up, feeling slightly uncomfortable. "Honey...she tastes like honey.. so sweet." He mumbled, and licked his lips.

She shivered, suddenly feeling like she was doing something very wrong by listening to his dream that was clearly about her other self, and _not her_. She tore her eyes away, fluffing her pillow then rolling over on her side. He was panting faster and grunting low in his chest, the sound made her eyes widen as he grunted out loudly and sighed.

"Haaahh... ahhh." Launch was hesitant to know what all the sounds were about, but she had a pretty good idea. Launch turned, to her amazement and she saw a large puddle of milky white fluid leaking up the ridges of his abs, dripping down the sides as it pumped out onto the faintly pink bloodied towels beneath him, seeping into the fabric and fading. She could smell the sharp scent, she pinched her nose and furrowed her eyebrows.

Launch tossed another towel over him to absorb it, shuddering with just the idea of being anywhere near him after what he had just done. "_That's **nasty**! Yuck!"_ She said lowly, shaking her hands as if they were soiled. "What a.. a **caveman**!" She scoffed, and turned away from him, curling into a ball and squeezing her eyes shut.

"Mine. My girl. She's...mine! " He mumbled, twitching. She heard a low rumble, then something like a wolf's snarl. Launch shivered. "Can't... can't take her.." She pulled the pillow up over her ears and felt like screaming for him to shut up. "No!" He gasped, sitting up in bed, panting. She looked from the corner of her eye, at the man now having a nightmare.

His eyes were squeezed shut, his brows furrowed. He growled even deeper, his hair bristling upwards, as the bed began to shake. Sweat beaded his skin as he quivered, straining as if building up his ki. A florescent red began to glow around his large hands curled upward in his lap, slowly growing until it crawled up his vascular arms. "Haah...haah... " He panted, and Launch sat up, suddenly frightened.

"Hey- uh, you better stop that!" She said, her voice shaky. "You're gonna blow up the place!" The red aura only continued to crawl, until it encased him completely and was even surrounding the large spikes of hair that grew back from his brow. _"Stop! Hey, stop it!"_ She yelled, taking the pillow and whacking him with it. It blew into a cloud of ashen feathers, and she dropped the singed corners.

"R-Raditz! Wake up!" She said, her voice panicked. "Hnnn. Mmmm...?" He moaned, his eyelids lifting slowly. The pupils were unfocused, hazy by sleep.

"Smell it...smell him." He mumbled through thick lips, his eyes slowly turning on her.

"Uhh.. I washed up like ya said!" She said, laughing nervously. He sniffed sharply, then exhaled, and the red began to fade slowly, to a deep pink, then sunk back into his flesh until it was pale again. The man slouched over, his head hanging from his wide shoulders.

Launch tentatively placed one hand on his back, and the other on his chest to carefully make him lie down, having to push hard at the resistance until he grunted and his head hit the pillow, her face meeting his, their noses just touching as her arm was trapped beneath him. Launch pulled her arm out with a yelp, holding her shoulder.

His tail slowly snaked up her leg, her thigh, then coiled gently around her waist and lifted her into the air above his sleeping form. Launch gasped, squirming for balance mid air, feeling so frightened she practically wet herself. Then, the tail pulled her down to him, and settled her to lie in the crook of his arm, and he made a deep, rumbling sigh.

Launch grabbed at the furry appendage, clawing at it desperately. It wasn't going to budge. Launch sighed heavily, resting her head on his soft pectoral muscle, now relaxed of all its stiffness. _Well, guess I'm stuck here.. don't have a pillow now anyways. Guess this is just as good, not as if I got a choice._ She sighed, and allowed herself to fall asleep, feeling oddly comfortable.

* * *

_Heavy, white smoke swept across a vast plain of powdery blue soil as she walked; each footprint marking her soles with sky blue, turning and smiling at her reflection in the mirrored walls. The black sky overhead was devoid of a moon, only stars._

_The little girl wore a large, red bow wrapped around bouncing blonde curls, and a pink and black pinefore apron dress. "Lunch? Are you there?" She knocked on the glass, her green eyes illuminated teal with the blue radiance of their dream realm. The swirling smoke surrounded her; tendrils danced across the vaulted ceiling, the mirror walls._

_"Launch. I'm here. What's wrong?" Her voice echoed, breathy and reverberating. The little girl sat, and pressed her forehead to the mirror._

"_I__'m sad." She said softly. Her reflection placed its shadowy form against hers. "Me too. Can I come out and play?" She tapped the glass, her hand in the reflection fuzzy. "I think it's safe." She whispered, looking up to the sky. She pressed on the mirror, and opened a square door._

_"I want to be with **him**." She whispered, as she crawled out, a small child with long, curly blue hair and identical red ribbon that was on the opposite side. "Why?" Launch said, touching Lunch's pale cheek, gazing into her dark, violet eyes. Lunch grasped her other self's hand, nuzzled her cheek into it. "I don't know.. I can't explain." Launch smiled. "I want to go inside." She said, lowering her face and nodding sadly. "It** hurts**."_

_Lunch nodded silently, her little face grim. The two girls passed by one another, then the blonde child crawled inside the mirror, and Lunch closed the door. She knocked on the mirror. "Are you ok?" She whispered, her other side touched the mirror, now only a black shadow._

_"Yeah. I'll go to sleep now. Be careful, Lunch. He'll hurt you if you're not careful." She whispered. Lunch giggled, tears beading at the corners of her upturned eyes. "I know! But I'll be ok! I'm **strong**." She said, standing and making her way through the sand, her pink and white apron dress swaying across her dusty blue knees, her small mouth bowed in a mischievous smile._

* * *

Launch's curled form against Raditz's chest smiled, nuzzled to him as her blonde hair slowly darkened to chartreuse green, aquamarine, then a rich, royal blue. Her features shifted from sharp edges, to soft. She awoke, opening her eyes a moment to look up at Raditz's sleeping face, crawling up carefully to kiss his lips softly, breathing just barely on his face. He stirred only a small amount, smiling in his sleep as she stroked his cheek, and sang her unearthly tune, softly as possible as not to hurt his sensitive ears, as the red and blue aurora outside danced, the colors clashing to create a brilliant violet glow that flooded into the small window.

* * *

He opened his eyes, sitting up on one elbow, Tien stared out at the translucent waterfall before the cavern he had fallen to sleep in. His purple shirt fell away in strips, his skin was dirty, and covered in scratches and scrapes.

"I did it. I made it." He said, standing to walk through the waterfall and allowing it to crash around him and wash him clean of the splattered blood and soil, as he walked out into the water reflecting with the Aurora's brilliant light.

"Only a few more days, soon we won't be able to avoid it anymore." He whispered lowly, staring at the celestial bodies in the sky. Mars and Neptune were so low in the sky, that they were visible beneath the mottled light show, nearly the size of Earth's moon.

_Yes... good, my child..._

* * *

He felt hunger pangs curling up in his belly as Nappa opened his eyes wearily, in the dark basement room. Above, he heard the rumbling of strange music, of flutes and drums and could smell the heavy scent of inscence and the shaking of the ceiling as the people above were dancing in fervent worship of the skies, bellowing with exaltation to the planets; A high pitched intonation rung out, causing the caged Saiyans to growl and curl over clutching their skulls.

Nappa squeezed his eyes shut and could barely bear to hear the sound, groaning in pain. "They're getting ready for the solstice. The dark times are approching." A low voice spoke from one of the cages, then shuddered.

"Can you all speak..?" Nappa asked lowly, not loud enough for the leader to hear. He heard mumbles and agreeing sounds, grunts.

"Are you able to use your power?" The caged Saiyans looked to another, in confusion.

"He cut our tails."

"He cut mine off"

"..Piece by piece."

"I don't know if we can now..."

"Mine is still half there."

Many voices rang out around him. Nappa shook his head, "That doesn't matter. There is no moon here. I mean your ki, do you know how to use it?" He growled out, frustrated as the siren song screeched in his ears.

"Of course I do..."

"No..."

"What's that?"

"Is that energy?" The many voices murmured.

"I'll explain to you all how to use it. But you'll need to eat in order to use it. We need sustenance." He said, having hadn't eaten in nearly a year, only being sustained by rations and the nutrient serum.

"She will feed us soon."

"They give us the scraps"

"We can have the bones, the marrow is good!"

"I'm hungry."

The many voices echoed, and Nappa hushed their excited voices. "Shhh. When he comes back, pretend you are all weak." He said, blinking assuredly.

"Weak?"

"We aren't weak!"

"Why?"

"What's the point of that?"

Nappa turned his head to the side and snarled at them all, silencing them.

"Don't ask so many goddamned questions! I'll explain."

* * *

Gohan climbed up to the summit of Break Wasteland, now safe from the wild dogs that had been chasing him. He dragged his feet behind him in exhaustion, scratches marred his small face and tears threatened to burst from his eyes.

He sighed heavily and looked up at the beautiful lights, the strange sight of the red and blue planet on either side of the sky so visible that the planet's surfaces many scars and mountains were discernable. With no moon to speak of, he curled up in a ball and rested.

* * *

...Far from where Gohan rested, Piccolo stood at the top of Mount Paozu, cupping ice water in his hands to drink, then lifting his face and observing the planets with a thoughtful expression, his verdant skin illuminated to an almost bluish hue as the colors danced across him.

_Why are the planets so close? It's never happened before... Could it be because the moon never returned? What could this entail?_

Piccolo grumbled with agitation, then pulled his white cloak around him and turned away.

* * *

The coals of a dying fire began to glow with the gentle breeze, as Chi-Chi rested from her long journey, her head of black hair spilling out over her bundle of clothes, curled safely to her chest was a luminous orange ball, as the colors of the aurora danced across her pale skin.

* * *

Far from the forest, on the balcony of the second floor of Capsule Corps stood a figure draped in a white sheet, fluttering on the breeze. Bulma sighed, pulling the sheet closer around her shoulders as she clutched a ragged teddy bear to her chest, tears falling down her cheeks.

"How can it be... It's so stunning..." She said softly, her bright azure eyes quivering, tearful pools of sorrow.

Nearby, the open window down the way caused the curtains to flutter into a darkened room, where in the darkness the soft whites of his eyes were visible as Vegeta stared, admiring the colors and the sight of the red planet so very much like his home planet.

_What a strange, and beautiful world this is._


	9. Weakness Thy Name is Woman

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: I do not own Dragon Ball Z. All characters, and story belong respectfully to Akira Toriyama. I have adjusted Raditz's backstory to work with my story, and added lots of filler.

**Note: I do not own Dragon Ball Z. All characters, and story belong respectfully to Akira Toriyama. I have adjusted Raditz's backstory to work with my story, and added lots of filler.**

* * *

Dawn had come, the sky now pale cerulean, the planets only faint spheres behind the clouds. Feeling the sun's rays hitting his cheek, Tien sat up from the grassy ground where he'd curled up to rest late last night, too exhausted to even return to his capsule house nestled in the rocks nearby. He lowered his head and stared at his lap, his legs crossed beneath him.

He folded his hands and sighed. Much weighed on his mind, he resolved to ignore it all, to allow his mind to grow blank and only focus on meditation. The waterfall crashing behind him, the chirping of birds in the trees, the soft sounds of the forest. But all he heard and saw in his mind was _Launch_. Her face, her body, her moan, the feel of her, the taste of her. It was enough to drive him mad.

_I need_ _ to focus on training! The Saiyan must die. I won't allow him to sleep in her bed, to threaten all our lives. Then, the others will be next. No more distractions. Then, I will do as I originally planned._

He stood, dropping his black dress slacks that were now filthy, wearing only modern boxers, he shed them as well and walked into the cold water to cleanse himself of her sinful distractions. Tien's expression was grim as he strolled into the falling water, turning to face the skyline over the mountainside as he sat and allowed the water to purify him.

* * *

Raditz recognized a familiar scent and opened his eyes softly, feeling the fresh healing pains in his chest he only turned his head, and nudged her blue locks aside with his nose, pressing his feverish lips that were hot and dry to her cool forehead. Launch breathed heavily, still lost in sleep as he moved his arm to stroke up her thigh, grazing her soft bottom.

She murmured in her sleep softly, with a soft smile. Raditz used his arm to pull her onto him, his tail writhing around her waist and tickling her sleeping form. He wanted her to wake up and amuse him, to cook him his breakfast and bathe him again; perhaps this time even _join_ him. Raditz smiled mischievously, pulling her up closer and feeling her form under his hands softly, enjoying the coolness of her skin against his heated flesh.

"Wake up, Launch. I'm hungry." He murmured, and she opened one eye a tiny amount, turning away from the light and groaning softly. He chuckled, tickling her cheek with his tail. Launch started awake with a gasp, lifting her head and sitting up on his abdomen, her small hands on his chest.

She looked down at him with sudden apprehension, diverting her eyes from his soft ones full of warmth and love that they seemed like stained glass obsidian in the sunlight; not showing her any hint of coldness. He pushed gently on her cheek with his tail to look at him, wrapping it softly around her shoulders to pull her back down, his hands encasing her waist. Raditz became frustrated as she resisted his gentle ministrations, turning her cheek the other way and gulping.

"What is it, Launch? I want you close. Come here." He growled softly, pressing himself against her bottom and moving her against him suggestively.

"No!" She cried out, jumping up and separating herself from him.

"What do you mean, no?" He frowned, looking at her curiously. Launch tried to move, feeling his tail tightening around her chest to restrain her, but not enough to hurt her.

"I don't know who you are anymore!" She cried out, turning away and pressing on his chest to lift herself up.

"Who_ I am? _I'm the same as before...!" He tilted his head, and sat himself up against the headboard with a wince of pain. She looked down at his chest and that saw his bandages had been changed, and there was dried blood there. She reached and touched it, frowning worriedly.

"The old man did it." He said, scoffing. He hadn't enjoyed waking up to see the unfamiliar faces instead of hers.

"Oh..?" She said, lowering her head. She had felt something strange in her sleep, the other Launch's mind was all over last night, and the feelings... Were unlike anything she'd felt before.

"That girl caused it! She left to be _mated!"_ He growled, thinking furiously of her other-self.

**"What's it to you!?" **She spat lowly, feeling her lip curl back. A streak of jealousy flashed through her, and she gasped, felt guilt for thinking such a thing of her other self, her sister.

Raditz growled with agitation, exhaling sharply from his nose.

"I don't want that weakling male's scent on you. You _know_ that." He said, meeting her bared teeth with his own.

"Why not just kill him, that's what you do isn't it,_ kill people!?" _She shrieked, her once soft velvet violet eyes dark and cutting. Raditz smirked and chuckled lowly.

"So, you know. Yes, that is what I have done in the past; does that pose an issue?" He smiled smugly, but his inner voice wasn't as indifferent.

"_Of course_ it does! Was that your plan all along when you got better, to _kill_ us?" She cried out, tears falling from her eyes. She furrowed her brow and let them fall and dapple her chest.

"It was..." He said, flatly. But seemed to stop his train of words.

"Why?" She snapped. It was Raditz's turn to look away. He allowed his tail to loosen and come to lie still on the bed. Launch sat down slowly on him, apprehensively gripping his chest with her nails. She didn't know why, but she felt as if she were ready to fight him, to slash him with her nails.

"Until now, that's all I ever thought my life would be. Purge, feast, fuck, repeat. I won't lie to you. I haven't had the ideal life you earthlings all seem to honor." He said grimly, and turned back to gaze unflinchingly into her eyes.

"I never had that luxury." Launch allowed her anger to ebb just a small amount, removing her nails from his skin where they had barely made a mark.

"No..?" She said, swallowing.

" ..No. As a young child of only several years my power level was judged to be too low, and in our society; children with low-level power could only become engineers or infiltration babies, sent to other planets with the hope that if they grew strong enough to take that planet over, then they could be allowed to return home and be promoted to a military position.

So, I was left to fend for myself, either _conquer_ or **die**. I was angry... I... _hated_ my father for sending me away. I always wanted to be a soldier, to wear the Saiyan armour...to be like him." He snorted, darting his eyes away with embarrassment. It was the truth. The hard truth he hated to admit. Launch's eyes softened, she nodded gently, for him to continue. Raditz blinked hard.

"I wanted to stay. That's all. But there I found myself, alone in a strange world. Ravenous. Angry... So yes, I took my rage out on anything that moved. I destroyed entire civilizations, I ate what I had to, I needed the strength to fight. I was a weak child, I fought until my little bones were broken and my blood was indistinguishable from the blood of the victims I was soaked in."

His eyes grew hardened as he spoke, he pulled Launch closer to him and lowered his voice to a graveling whisper.

"I was discovered days later by my own kind. His name was Nappa. He was the general of The Saiyan Army. He told me that our planet was destroyed by a meteor shower. All the people on it, my mother, my father, save my child brother Kakarot, and Prince Vegeta." He said, as if spitting the distasteful words from his tongue. Launch felt saddened by his words, and she caressed his chest gently, lowering her eyesight.

"So, I became a soldier. Finally. I could wear that treasured Saiyan armour, have my own title. But it wasn't The Saiyan Army. It was the Frieza Force." He closed his eyes and she felt a small quiver go through him at speaking that name.

"Our mission is a familiar one, I take you have learned. To expand our Lord's empire. To conquer, claim all the galaxy. That is his dream, not mine. The Saiyan way of life was always to conquer, to take, we were once only barbaric thieves.

Whether it be the technology of the Tuffles, or the entire planet. We did what we had to, to survive, we learned how to adapt and use what we could to our advantage. But Frieza's way was different. I wanted to _fight_, to grapple with _worthy_ opponents, not slaughter the innocents. Nappa, I and Prince Vegeta banded together as Saiyans, we fought _together;_ did our missions together. Nappa showed us the ways of our people, he taught me everything I know. He is an honorable man..." He looked to her with a bitter smile.

"...But, Vegeta was a rebellious child, unlike myself he spoke out against Freiza, and when he was lashed, we were all lashed. All we did we did as one. So if he suffered, we were glad to share the burden with **the** **prince**." Raditz spat, saying the last word with disgust.

"Raditz..." Launch said softly, gently touching his cheek. She felt terrible for her words, she wanted to retract them.

"No. Don't forgive me." He said, jerking his cheek from her hand. "I haven't told the entire story yet." He said grimly, staring out the window.

* * *

He sat across from his friend Chiaotzu; whom he had known longer than any of the people he had grown to know these last few years.

"Aren't we going to Kame House today, Tien?" He asked, over a steaming cup of green tea. Tien folded his hands over and shook his head.

"Why don't we just stay here today Chiaotzu. We can train right here, can't we? This is, after all, our home." He said, trying to encourage him with a smile. Chiaotzu blinked; blankly, his large eyes not giving away what emotion was going through his head.

"I suppose, we could focus on our training more, without.." He paused, frowning.

"It's ok, Chiaotzu. I know. I've spent too much time entertaining the idea that I could ever fit a relationship into my life, but the fact of the matter is I'm just not ready. I'm not sure that I'll ever be." He said, frowning.

He took a sip of his tea, feeling waves of regret washing over him, over all the things he had said to Launch in the fog of lust. Chiaotzu looked down at the table sadly, it was so quiet here without anyone else to talk to, he had to admit he'd grown fond of everyone.

"We have to train to become stronger to defeat the Saiyans, with or without the others. I don't blame you if you're afraid to fight Raditz. I don't ask that you come along. This is my own battle." He said, nodding grimly.

Whether or not he was with Launch, he would not allow her life to be endangered.

"I'll help you Tien, no matter what!" He said brightly, his small red cheeks bright. "Thanks, Chiaotzu. You're really the best friend a guy could ever have." Tien said, standing to go outdoors and train, while remembering with a sense of lingering dread that If Chiaotzu didn't survive, the guilt would be on his shoulders.

* * *

The beachside of East City still held a faint sanguine hue as four fit figures dressed in red kung-fu gi's, with black obi's tied around their waists raked through the sand for remaining debris. The wreckage from the battle had been done away with, they would use the remaining scraps of submarines to make themselves a new boat, or perhaps reinforce the siding on the low, camouflaged abode concealed by overhanging willows nestled in the cliffside.

The victims of the battle had been buried, and rites had been said over the mass grave at the far end of the beach.

"Do you expect that others will come looking for him?" A male with shaggy blonde hair and a red bandana around his forehead said, in a slow, thoughtful voice. His hazel eyes appeared sleepy, lined with stress even though he was only in his twenties. A woman turned, leaning on her rake, and looked up to the sky.

"I suspect that there will be many. Their race is all but extinct, but this man had two followers. By now, they are well past breeding age." Her voice was raspy and hardened, with a seemingly permanent scowl on her face that may have been lovely if only she were to smile. Kannon crossed her arms and leaned on the rake, spitting. Her wild blonde hair was in a pixie cut, partially concealed by a similar red bandana. A small amount of hair was braided and hung down her back.

"Kannon, will you recognize them?" He asked, a sneer forming as he curled his upper lip at the thought of the disgusting primates. She snarled, touching the hanging tassel of the strange cylindrical weapon strapped to her back, and spat on the ground.

"Reign, any _Saiyan filth _that steps foot on these sacred grounds is **dead**, ya hear?" The blonde man named Reign nodded. The other male stopped his raking, and laid the rake down, in removing his bandana and squeezing perspiration from it, his third eye was visible.

"Put your wrapping back on, Grenada." Kannon spat, swatting him on the shoulder, where his gi was blackened as if the sleeves had been burnt away.

"We can't have humans see your third eye, fool." He tied it back on around his spiky orange hair, chuckling giddily. His bright green eyes were illuminated phosphorus, the irises moving in an unstable manner as he wrapped one arm around her waist, earning a stubborn push against his chest.

"Mhmm. Come _on_ Kannon! The Tide is coming! hmhm. It will soon be mating time, don't you miss making the call? Mhmhm." He said lustfully in her ear, in between his uncontrollable vocal tics that made him oftentimes clear his throat. He stroked one hand on her toned hip, earning him a slap across his face.

Grenada jumped back, cringing in an erratic manner then attempting to focus his eyes on her, as if he were agitated by her incessant resistance to his advances "Don't you _dare_ touch me, freak!" Kannon pulled out the automatic she kept tucked in the back of her obi and pointed to his chest. "I don't need a mate, as far as you're concerned, I _ain't_ a female and I won't act like one! I don't care about the freakin tide!" She said, and let off a round of bullets into his direction.

Grenada grinned and caught them swiftly, with his heat protecting fingerless gloves that kept him unharmed, although his fingers were black from a long life of pyromania. He dropped them to the ground and chuckled haplessly, looking at his hands and moving his fingers as if fascinated by the steaming hot leather.

Another girl came forward, her dainty hand to her face in surprise, she tilted her head of vibrant fuschia locks and blinked with her large, doey amber eyes.

"Why do you _refuse_ to mate Kannon, soon you will be infertile! I have mated each year and had 6 children to Grenada and Reign, it is the Gemini's duty to repopulate." She said, blinking naïvely, her lilting voice not giving off any air of malcontent.

Reign wrapped his arm around her, squeezed one of her bountiful assets and kissed her cheek. "Propel is such an obedient breeder, aren't you, my sweet? This time you'll bear my child." He cooed, nibbling her ear and causing her to titter mindlessly.

"That's disgustin'." Kannon scoffed, shaking her head and sticking out her tongue.

"Enough." A voice came from behind, and the red daubed people stopped and turned to bow.

"Apologies Lord Vulcane, we were simply discussing our excitement for the upcoming Solstice!" Propel said excitedly, from behind her iridescent pink-violet locks.

"Come along, Propel. Prepare our prisoners a hearty gruel, they are becoming too malnourished."

Propel stood up straight and nodded eagerly, running to her master's side as the others followed dutifully behind. Kannon darted her eyes back and forth at her companions who walked with their heads down in obedience.

"Might I be of assistance, My Lord?" She asked, her raspy voice shaking at the words. Lord Vulcane paused a moment, and turned to sneer at her from behind his stringy, black hair.

"You cannot **cook**, Kannon. You will not be **mated**, how shall _you_ assist our dutiful Propel?" He said, his dry breath hissing from his withered lips. Kannon lowered her head, gulping.

"I shall feed the weakened primates, My Lord, and make sure that they do not speak amongst themselves." She said smartly, licking her lips quickly. Vulcane turned around and eyed her carefully, then took her by her bandana and wrenched her head to the side, then whispered in her ear with his rancid breath.

"You shall be my _most_ obedient mate, Kannon. This Solstice, you will _scream_ the name of your Lord, or else you will be caged with the rest of them!" He spat, spittle beading her cheek as she cried out.

"Yes My Lord! I will obey." She said, her lip quivering as he released her roughly, earning a smile and silent applause from Propel, who commended her for the great honor of bearing the Gemini Cult leader's child. Kannon lowered her head and masked the sobs that threatened to tear through her body.

* * *

"Not about.. your people," Raditz spoke, he wouldn't allow her to forgive him just yet. She had to know the story about how he came to discover the truth about the Gemini. Launch's eyes widened at his words, her hand retracting from his cheek and balling up to her chest. Raditz sighed, and began to continue his terrible tale.

"We arrived on The Red Planet, Mars. It was barren as far as we could tell, we scoured its dry desert plains for days, until discovering a network of underground caves that housed a large society of people. The men all had a third eye, whereas the women were relatively humanoid; except for the ability to transform and become more aggressive.

The Tri-Eyes could use ki as well, and use their demon eyes to bewitch... They fought well, the battle was long but we won out in the end. We moved onto the daunting task of surveying the harsh environment of Planet Neptune as ordered, Mars was bad; it was impossibly cold, but to be just a child in such a place was honestly frightening. We begged to go back many a time, but the fear of failing a mission under Frieza's watch was much worse. We had just barely survived navigating the deadly atmospheric storms, the poison gas, escaping the unstable molten lava surface by falling into a deep chasm many miles below the surface, into a hidden ocean. There, we found more of the Gemini people, but these people were far less aggressive. The females had the ability to sing and deafen us for a short time, the males were also non-violent, but they used their trickery to mislead us and we became lost deep in their labyrinthian world.

We were allowed a period of rest from battle when a female Gemini housed us for a short time, but once Frieza found that we had taken rest he sent his first set of hounds to sniff us out, The Dyjod Trio. Nappa attempted to fight with the Trio, and was sorely beaten. With their strict supervision we had to do as we were told, we cleared the planet's oceans clean.

There was nothing left, as far as I knew. When we returned back to Frieza's ship, we were forced to watch as Nappa was flayed alive... his skin did grow back, slowly...but afterward, he was hairless but for the hair on his face. The punishment was _too severe!_ No man should have to suffer that **horror**!" Raditz spat with his eyes tightly shut, at the traumatic, bloody images in his mind.

Launch shuddered, her hand over her mouth. "What did you do..?" She asked, her eyes wide, brimming with tears of empathy.

"Nothing. We moved on. That was life. We had to become heartless to survive, it wasn't that difficult to do. It became routine, we would go on a mission, return, then Frieza had a new punishment in store for us. The insanity began to take hold of us all; we were starved, beaten, molested for their amusement, forced to fight one another practically to the death... Then, we had to sleep in a dark room full of rotting bodies.

After a while, you learned the only way to get rid of the foul smell was to eat it, it made us sick as well but the smell of your own vomit was better than the scent of rotted flesh. It was that, or I would drink fermented malt and pass out in the mangled innards of a female I'd taken from her dead planet as my reward... For the longest time we were lost to the primal urges of our blood, we survived on that alone.

We _tried_ to hang onto our Saiyan pride. For many long years, we lived this way, until recently when we got a mission that was of some challenge. We were sent to the Planet Lupine. The people there were like us. They had tails, but they weren't Saiyans. They were... like wolves.

We came when their moon was at its apex; and, like us, they also transformed by the light of the moon. Yet, unlike our home planet where the moon only appeared once every 100 years, their moon never left its apex. Every night we fought, for 4 long years, the three of us against them, in their giant form as well, taking to the cover of rubble during the day to rest and becoming beasts at night, until finally...

Their entire race was extinct. It honed our Ōozaru forms until we were even able to speak and communicate with one another. When we came back to the base, we were rewarded with a grand feast and drinks for all, fighting, whoring; whatever a man could desire, as long as he survived.

In the morning, I was sent to Planet Earth alone, my sole mission was to find my younger brother Kakarot, and bring him back alive. I fully intended to make him a heartless warrior like myself, even to prove himself I asked him to slay 100 Earthlings... But, that was never the case... He fought well, and sacrificed himself for his people." Raditz said with a firm nod, and Launch smiled warmly, the tears she had cried throughout his tale wetting her cheeks.

"Raditz...You_ are _an honorable man. You have much to be proud of."

He wrenched his face towards her, grimacing. "**How?** How are any of the unsavory things I've endured worth honor?" He growled.

"...Because, through all that, you didn't lose your Saiyan pride. You didn't lose your _heart_. I know, because you have shown me. You have comforted me, when all along it was _you_ who was hurting. How it must have hurt to lose all your people; your family ... To watch the General and your Prince suffer, and take that punishment as well... To lose your mind, but _retain_ your spirit. To live **on**. I would imagine anyone else would have wanted to die." She said softly, and stroked his chest, leaning down and placing her head there.

"Do you hate me for it?" He said, swallowing. His eyebrows were tensed nervously above his eyes that gazed down at her uneasily.

Launch sighed, tracing circles on his chest. "_Hate_ you...? You did what you were _ordered_ to do. If it had been an option, I don't believe that you would have slain my people. As you say, there is no challenge in the slaughter of innocents. I don't know that I would have been born if not for your interference... I would have never had the chance to meet you...

"Perhaps having gone through those horrors... is _enough_ punishment for what you have done. Perhaps just _experiencing_ that horror, and reliving those terrifying scenes, night after night is enough." She said, looking up at him and smiling softly, tears beaded the corners of her dark lashes and she laughed softly, as if choking back the cry that threatened to escape her sweet lips.

Raditz stared down at her, his expression was downcast, his eyes, hollow graves once filled with light; now darkened by the telling of his innermost horrors.

"No.. you mustn't _say_ such things..! I **am** hateful..." He cried out, squeezing his eyes shut, he flinched back from her touch; from the affection, he was so unfamiliar with. _I don't deserve this! I am not worthy...I could never be worthy of such a strong female... I am a coward, a low-level scum..._

" ..I don't hate you." She said firmly. He pulled back, turning his face away, his throat bobbing with his unreleased sobs. Raditz placed his hands on the small woman's shoulders as if to push her away, a small tear crawling down his cheek.

"Raditz... please..._Raditz!_ " Launch cried out his name in passion, digging her nails into his skin with the desire for him to return to her, pulling him closer.

Her voice brought him out of his inner anguish, he turned abruptly and she gazed into his eyes; those obsidian pools; brimming with tears. His heart felt wrenched for him, but it also felt full, brimming with growing feelings there. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed up his throat, to his cheek, he attempted to shake her off, feeling he was undeserving of her affections.

Launch pulled him to her by the hair on the nape of his neck and kissed him forcefully; pressing her small lips to his fervently, tears spilling down her cheeks as she parted her lips, licking his lower lip. Launch allowed him to grip her by her shoulders and fill her mouth with his hot, swirling tongue, wrapping his arms around her fully and squeezing her carefully to his body as if she were the most precious thing he had ever held. Raditz's loving touch made her shiver with delight; her tears forgotten. With her kiss she told him she accepted him; all his pain would no longer be his alone to bear.

* * *

She stood at the edge of the forest, her Dragon Ball safely tucked away in her belongings, Chi-Chi looked down at the Dragon Radar, following the dot flashing on the green screen. There was a small village in the Sacred Land of Korin surrounding a tall white tower, with an elliptical structure at the top.

She walked carefully down the dirt pathway, waving kindly to the strangers sitting before triangular huts, cooking their first meal of the day over a stone fire pit. Chi-Chi made her way to the base of the tower and looked up at the many carved faces there, the engraved white marble stone. _So, **this** is Korin's Tower..._ She thought, and began rolling up her sleeves.

"Do you plan to climb all the way up? I have to warn you, lady it's a long way." A small voice came from behind, and Chi-Chi turned quickly to see a fit, young native with round, black eyes looking her up and down as if attempting to assume her strength.

"I do. Why is it any of your business?" She asked warily. "My name is Upa. I live here, and I see many people try to climb the tower, but not usually a lady." He blinked innocently, his button eyes almost too hard to stay mad at.

"Well, who says I can't climb it?! I'm the wife of Son Goku, and If I can go toe to toe with him, I can climb a dumb tower!" She growled, pulling out her frying pan and waving it threateningly. Upa backed away, waving his hands in submission. "Are you _truly_ the wife of Son Goku?" He asked, happily. His little eyes sparked in a way that spoke of deep admiration. Chi-Chi crossed her arms and frowned a little, "Well, it's sort of a long story but yes... I need to get up there to retrieve the dragon ball to save my little boy." She said, hopeful that he knew of some way to assist her.

He called over a large man, who towered over Chi-Chi and wore many stripes on his cheeks, feathers in his hair and had a tomahawk strapped to his deerskin pants. "Hello, sir, do you have any idea how I'm to scale this tower?" She asked politely, smiling sweetly. "Father, this is the wife of Son Goku." Upa whispered, and Bora's eyes widened, his stern face warming to a smile. "I see, what a surprise! Goku reunited me with my son, you see he wished me back to life with the Dragon Balls many years ago. My name is Bora."

He said warmly, putting his arm around his son. Chi-Chi nodded, knowingly.

"Nice to meet you both, my name is Chi-Chi. I'm sorry to rush things but I really **_need_**_ to__ get that ball! _My son Gohan is off training to fight these terribly strong men like Goku, and there's a g-good chance my boy won't make it! _I'm just so frightened about what could happen to him!" _She said, the words flying out of her in a panic, as she pulled on Bora's long braids, yanking them as if that could convince him, and startled him.

He placed his large hands on her shoulders and calmed her nervous fidgeting. "Alright. We won't stop you. If you truly wish to climb Korin's tower, all I can say to you is, _do not_ look down. Just keep climbing up, and don't stop and you're sure to get there." He nodded, pulling a bundle from his belt.

"Here. This is enriched bread with fruit. It will keep you full." He said, and handed her the pack, as well as a canteen of water. Chi-Chi took them gratefully, and thanked them, placing the canteen on her belt and the bread in the loose fold of her cheongsam for easy access, Chi-Chi looked up the high tower and began to climb, not looking back.

* * *

Goku only continued on his long journey down Snake Way, now running down the path energetically, determined yet always smiling, he knew it was a long way, but he wouldn't stop, not once for the sake of his friends, his family and the fate of the entire world.

"Man, this is taking a lot longer than I thought! Sure is a good workout, though!" He said optimistically, as his figure faded into the clouds.

* * *

The dark, hot, steamy caffeine was all Bulma had on her mind this morning as she sat at the kitchen table, with her mug cupped in her hands. Her eyes were still barely open as Vegeta leaped down the stairs, and paced around the kitchen like a mad cougar, grumbling to himself, his tail lashing. He picked up the coffee pot and sniffed it, narrowing his eyes.

"Is this some kind of nutrient serum...? Woman?!"

"Yes. Just freaking drink it!" She uttered, standing, grumbling as she refilled her cup, and fixed his as well.

"How do you like it?" She mumbled, forgetting he wasn't a native to earth.

"I don't care, _strong!"_ He spat, his stomach growling. He looked at Bulma in her ratty pink housecoat with bunny slippers and scoffed, it must have been a trick of the light last night because she looked _terrible_ now, with her normally smooth locks all frizzed and sticking up at her crown.

_Good, I don't need her distractions. _He thought to himself, looking away.

"Here. Now drink." She said, thrusting the cup into his hand, she shuffled back to her chair, setting her head heavily in her hands and sighing as she took another grateful sip. Her parents weren't even awake yet, Bulma had barely slept, having cried herself to sleep last night after watching a slew of cheesy romance movies and eating sinfully fattening amounts of ice cream.

Vegeta sat down across from her, his flame of raven hair still perfectly shaped, not a wrinkle under his eyes, nor any sign of weariness whatsoever on his glowing caramel skin. He sniffed the coffee and gave it a hesitant sip, Bulma had just given it to him black; not caring whether it was to his liking or not. He allowed the hot drink to flow down his throat, tasting each note of the flavor and licked his lips. He gulped more down eagerly.

"This is good, what is it?" He said, tilting the cup upside down to catch the last few drops on his tongue. Bulma barely paid him any mind.

"Coffee." She said, sinking her head down to the table and resting it on her arm. He looked at her with a raised eyebrow, then quickly lost interest, as he stood and started pacing again.

"Is my armour clean? Where is it? I'll need it today." He said quickly, the caffeine already having an effect.

"Yes! _Kami_, you're like a rabbit on speed, just give me a freaking minute here." She frowned, then shrugged off her robe and shamelessly revealed her two-piece lavender silk camisole and pyjama shorts that bared her navel; leaving Vegeta stunned, his mouth dropped open as her soft white cheeks peeked out brazenly from the shorts.

He felt a sudden hard to ignore 'reason' to stand behind the island countertop and pour himself more coffee with a shaky hand. _How vulgar! _He gulped, chugging down the coffee. Bulma heaved his armour back in the door, growling at the weight of it, her rear up in the air as she dragged it inside. _Indecent woman!_

He squeezed his eyes shut and clutched the coffee cup. _I'm immune...immune to her succubus bewitchery!_

"Well, here it is your Majesty, don't you want to just _jump_ right in!?" She said incredulously, her hands on her curvy hips. Vegeta's eyes darted conspicuously as he thought of a good excuse.

"I-I demand food, servant woman!" He said, slamming down his coffee cup.

" '_Servant woman' ?_ Excuse me?!" She screamed, throwing her fists to her sides and fuming with the unbelievable gall of this man.

"Excuse _you?_ **No**, you _may not_ be excused! What kind of blasted castle is this? **No** _servants?_ **No** _guards?! _I'm starting to think you aren't a princess **at all!"** He roared back, squeezing his coffee cup so hard it shattered. Bulma flinched back at the flying pieces and huffed at him, "Well you know what, this 'princess' doesn't cook breakfast for _asshole_ princes, so you can make your _own_ goddamn breakfast!"

She stormed into the kitchen and began pulling out pots and pans, taking the eggs and bacon out of the fridge, then slamming them on the counter in front of him.

"In this house, you don't get everything handed to you, our world isn't like that, so either get used to it or _get out!" _She snarled in his face, and Vegeta growled right back at her, their noses almost touching.

"Well, seems you just made a mockery of yourself because now I've got _everything_ I _need!"_ He said, and grabbed her by the hips and threw her onto the counter, knocking the pots and pans away carelessly, and attempting to wrench her flailing legs apart as she squealed and backed away on her rear, panting with heated fright at the man with a determined glare in his eyes, chuckling maliciously as he dragged her back by her thighs, her skin squeaking across the marble countertop.

"No! Stop it, Vegeta!" She wailed, her chest heaving.

"I'll _show_ _you_ what you get for being so indecent, servant woman! Lie down and _comply!"_ He snarled, grabbing one kicking foot and slinging it over his shoulder.

"_Goodness me!_ Should I come back later, dear?" Bunny asked, her hands to her flushing cheeks.

Bulma chuckled and turned to Vegeta, smirking. "No, Vegeta was just about to cook breakfast for us all, _weren't_ you?" She seethed through her teeth, grinding the heel of her foot in his clavicle.

He brushed her away; unaffected, letting go of her, and then looked down at the items in front of him with a faint expression of bafflement. Bulma huffed, hopping off the counter and shuddering; then wrapped her robe back around herself tightly and sat down. She mouthed _pervert! _to him and he responded by baring his teeth, and slinking back as Bunny walked in the kitchen.

"Nonsense! I won't have our royal guest cooking in my kitchen, let me see those, honey." Vegeta backed away, grinning smugly, and allowed Bunny to start breakfast, getting out of her way quickly before she asked him for assistance.

"I don't appreciate that kind of _naughty_ behavior on my countertop, I prepare food here, ya know! Although, if I was your age maybe I'd get up there too! " Bunny said, giggling as she sprayed it with sanitizer.

"Mom, _eww!"_ Bulma groaned, turning to Vegeta and blowing him a raspberry across the table, as he was glaring at her as if he could murder her with just his eyes.

* * *

Launch couldn't feel any more light on her feet as she did right now, she was practically on cloud nine as she stripped the bed clean of its bloody sheets and piled them into a trash bag, fluffing out the fresh, clean linens and laying them down. Raditz took a well-deserved soak in the tub, a bit cramped but he made do, sitting there in the masses of pink foamy bubbles, his legs folded before him as waited impatiently.

"How many minutes has it been _now?"_ He asked, irritated. Launch looked at the watch on her wrist and giggled.

"Time's up! You can rinse now." She snickered, tucking in the bedspread as she heard the shower switch on. She'd introduced him to a little thing called _shampoo_ _and conditioner,_ and he didn't like it one bit, he hated the scent and didn't like the idea of smelling like flowers.

It was either that or she'd threatened to use scissors on his spiky locks, and he'd refused vehemently against **that**. Raditz allowed the warmth of the shower to run down his body, feeling relief in his aching muscles that had not atrophied in the slightest even during his bedridden days.

He was eager to get moving, his arm and leg wounds had healed nicely. The chest wound would take longer now that it had reopened, but as long as he didn't overly stress himself he could now move around without intense pain. Raditz turned off the water and shook his hair dry, causing a spray of water droplets to hit the shower curtain.

He stepped out, grinning like a cheshire cat, he was feeling so fully sated by another delectable breakfast and more of that delightful thing, _'french kissing' _that Launch had shared with him. He'd never felt the need to touch lips with a female before her, but he found he liked it _alot._

He'd only put his tongue in her mouth from a strange urge to taste her, he never expected her to do the same. Raditz vaguely knew of kissing as some strange custom he never really cared to entertain, he wasn't trying to _romance_ the females he took before; only using them as a means to sate his own desire, he'd never realized something so unrelated to physical sex could feel _so _pleasurable.

He pulled on his black shorts now sewn skillfully by Launch, then strolled into the bedroom and leaned against the doorframe with a devilish grin, as he watched her bend over in her dark green shorts that displayed the creamy soft flesh of her backside to sweep up a scrap of bread crust, that had gone flying in his fervent devouring of another delightful thing called _'french toast'._

It seemed so far, anything with the word 'french' before it was something he liked...

Raditz licked his teeth, his mouth felt strange from the other thing she'd shown him called a 'toothbrush', Launch was amazed at his body's ability to prevent cavities, his teeth were perfectly white and strong. Besides, he didn't mind the minty, slightly burning thing called 'mouthwash' if it meant he could kiss her more. She noticed his presence and quickly attended to him, as he stood patiently, allowing her to bundle up his chest wound.

Launch smiled, patting his chest softly. She was happy that the wound had finally filled in with pink flesh, it wasn't completely healed but it was a good sign. Raditz watched as she fiddled with the bandage, entertaining himself by playing with the stretchy suspender on her red tube top.

"Are we done?" He asked, with a deep sound like a whine, exhaling sharply from his nose.

"Not yet. You _need_ to wear clothes. I think I've found something in your size!" She said sweetly, holding up a red shirt and faded blue jeans. She found them forgotten in an old trunk from long, long ago, when the young Ox King must have stayed a few nights over. Raditz creased his brow and looked them up and down suspiciously.

"Why do I need those? I **am** dressed." He said, looking down at himself in the very short, tight, form-fitting black shorts. He was startled to hear a low growl emit from her as he looked at her with surprise, his eyes widened.

"You _cannot_ go outside wearing nothing but your _underwear_, Raditz!" She huffed, stomping one red high top sneaker with green socks, stubbornly. A wry grin curled up on his cheek.

_"I see,"_ He said, leaning down to nudge her small nose with his. "You don't want other females to be interested in your male, is that it?" Launch's cheeks flushed dark pink, and she nodded. Raditz tilted up her chin and rewarded her with a firm kiss. Pulling back, he took the clothing.

"Then I certainly will wear them, I don't want them looking either." This earned him a pleased giggle from her and he pulled the clothes on, finding the shirt was a bit tight, the pants a bit short but not uncomfortable. His tail tore a hole in the back of the jeans as it wriggled with anticipation.

"Let's go, I want to stretch my legs." He said, and bent down and began picking up his armour, ripping the knees out of the pants as he did. He looked at the armour with some disappointment at the wretched state it was in. He frowned, discarding the broken breastplate and only putting on his boots, red leather arm and leg bands and his black forearm greaves.

"You don't need all that, you aren't fighting today..." Launch said, as she remarkably picked up his heavy breastplate with ease, and looked at it with concern at all the cracks and blood splatter. Raditz shrugged, not caring whether or not he wore the armour anymore, he took it and crumbled it to bits in his hands, sprinkling the dust into the garbage. Launch gasped at the sheer show of power.

"Why did you do that?" She felt badly, she didn't mean he could never wear it again. "I'll make new armour. Come along, let's go." Launch tilted her head, curious and followed behind him, surprised when he hefted her onto his back and went down the stairs in three steps.

They came out to the kitchen and met the surprised faces of Krillin and Master Roshi sitting at the table, Raditz only snorted and walked away, lowering Launch a moment to put on her knee pads and fingerless gloves. Normally, she would wear something nice, like a frilly dress, but her other half's clothes proved to be more suitable for where they were going.

"Sorry to leave like this Master Roshi, but Raditz needs his exercise, you'll find lunch in the fridge, and your supply of bathroom tissues and lingerie magazines has been restocked, they should last you a few days."

Roshi's cheeks flared with embarrassment as Krillin grinned at him knowingly, Launch smiled naïvely, and allowed Raditz to heft her back onto his back, nuzzling her face into his coarse mane that was now clean, but still held his pleasingly masculine scent.

"O-okay dear, you have fun and _be careful!_ And as for you, Mr. Raditz, I expect you _understand_ the rules of this household, I'd like Launch back for dinner and _unharmed_." He said, sternly and Raditz snorted at this, then gave a nod and they went out the door.

* * *

Bulma turned off the curling iron, spraying her hair lightly with hairspray and admiring her Farrah Faucett-like curls, wearing a cropped white Capsule Corps T-shirt and a form-fitting pair of red jeans, Bulma admired herself in the mirror, and grinned.

_I won't just lie moping about the house anymore. I have business to attend to, and I finally have my little alien dictionary here to help! And he WILL behave after his little stunt this morning..._ She thought deviously, sauntering down the hallway to Vegeta's guest room.

"Come out, come out your Highness, we have work to do!~" She sang teasingly, hearing his grunt from indoors.

He yanked the door open, tearing the knob from her hand, and scowled at her strange change of hairstyle.

"Do you like it?" She said, fluffing her curls. "You look like you've been blasted out the rectum of a tarrawyrm. Now **move**." He grunted, wearing only his blue under armour that was rife with holes.

He moved to leave and Bulma stepped in his way, then the other way and giggled, putting her hands on his shoulders to stop him. He exhaled harshly as Bulma looked him up and down, not failing to notice that the tight suit left little to the imagination.

"Well, you look like you've been through a blender. Why don't you have my mom sew it up for you?"

He lowered his brows and frowned. "There's no way I would let that _foolish_ old woman alter my clothing. This is advanced Saiyan technology; something you inferior _Earthlings_ couldn't replicate. It stretches to fit _any_ size." He said smugly, raising one eyebrow. Bulma rolled her eyes, putting her hand out.

"Take it off. I'll **prove** to you that we can replicate it. "

Bulma demanded, with a stern expression. He balked a moment, then slammed the door in her face.

"Fine woman, but I expect multiple sets of armour, and quickly. You'd better have decent clothing for me as well!" He growled from behind the door, then threw the blue ball of clothes out.

Bulma caught it deftly, then strolled down to large lab in the basement, humming happily. She tossed the suit in her little device called an Atom Analyzer, which would break the suit down to atomic structure, analyze its data, then begin making copies with those atoms, and then begin pushing them out like a printer.

Bulma set the machine to 10, she would do the rest of his armour later. Not only did the machine analyze minuscule atoms; it also was able to pick up on the cells from Vegeta. She typed in the keyboard and located the data on him, even showing a detailed 3D graph model of his body from the last molded state of the armour.

It would give her a full analysis of all the data later, for now, all she needed were his sizes. She took down his measurements on a piece of paper and walked over to a device that was more or less for her own luxury, a Clothing Replicator, where all she really needed to do was type in the measurements and select a style and fabric, at the molecular level and it was basically her own shopping mall.

"Now, let's see what would that _snobby_ prince like to wear?" She mused, wishing that she could pick out something funny like a pink shirt and yellow pants, but; thinking of her own desire to keep living, instead she settled on plain black athletic shorts, black briefs, white socks, running sneakers and multiple white t-shirts and tank tops so that if he was injured she would _know_.

Bulma frowned, as the machine began spitting out clothing, she picked them up and folded them over her arm. _Like I **care** if he gets himself hurt, it's his own damn fault! _She scoffed, then came upstairs and knocked on the door. She heard his grumbling voice inside, and giggled as he inched the door open and only showed his face, his naked body hidden behind the door.

"Throw the clothes in, immediately!" He demanded, a faint hue of pink on his cheeks. Bulma put her finger to her chin and mused, tilting her head.

"Hmm, is that any way to ask a favor from a _princess_ such as myself?" She said, batting her eyelashes.

He sputtered, then laughed coldly.

"I don't have to **ASK** any favors from you, woman. You should do them gladly, in return for not being _slaughtered!" _He snarled back, and Bulma balked, hiding the bundle of clothes behind her back.

"Well, that's not very nice. I guess I'd better take these back to the shredder..." She teased, turning away.

"Give me the damned garments!" He fumed, fully aware of his exposed state and unwilling to step out from behind the door.

"What do you say..?" Bulma said, turning back and grinning deviously. He growled, narrowing his eyes even further until they were just black and white slits under his dark eyebrows. "..._please_." He mumbled through his teeth, diverting his eyes. "_And..?"_ She enunciated, raising her blue brows. His eyes darted away, narrowing until squeezed angrily shut.

"**Thank** you! _Goddamnit! _" He shouted, his hand squeezing the door making hairline cracks all throughout the wood.

"That's better! Now get dressed and put on a happy face! We have a fun day ahead of us!" She said, chipperly and handed him the clothes, turning away and bounding down the hallway.

Vegeta glared at the crazy blue-haired woman with an expression of complete disbelief; how this woman could go from being frightened and bursting out in tears before him one moment, then angry and ready to fight him the next, then seem to welcome his presence was _completely_ beyond his understanding. _She's either totally insane, or so feeble-minded that she's under the impression I'm no longer to be feared... Either way, I think that deems she be watched **very** closely... _He thought, lingering, then closed the door.


	10. Uncontrollable Fate

Vegeta followed Bulma with a sneer permently carved into his features, his arms crossed obstinately after she had driven him insane before even eating breakfast; which he found was _much_ less offensive than dinner, then made him _wait_ to be clothed and only have a flimsy door to conceal him, and now she was showing him around the place as if she were some kind of **blasted** tour guide. He wore the offered clothing she gave and was at the _very least_ pleased to find that the girl had managed to make everything fit him just right.

"...And this, is the Pièce de résistance, my latest work to repair an alien space pod, much like the ones you used! I think you'll be pleased to find everything is in working order, this was left out in the woods for a long time... I had to clean out a birds nest from the..."

Her words began to fade out as he glared at the number on the motherboard, _number 276..._

"Don't tell me, **You** were the fool that sent the distress call to Frieza's headquarters!?" He said incredulously, stopping her train of words. Her mouth opened and closed like a fish as she processed what he said.

"Distress call? To _who...?"_ She asked innocently, cringing back a little as he slapped his own face with his palm angrily, dragging his fingers down and glaring at her.

"I swear, if you weren't 'supposedly' some earthling princess I would **kill** you right where you stand, right now." Vegeta said viciously, sending a shiver straight down Bulma's spine and to her bladder, she was so frightened that it could burst any minute as he stepped towards her and took her by her arms.

"That call is what started this whole entire problem. Now Nappa is _dead,_ Raditz is incapacitated...I'm here of all places watching over a helpless human female!" Bulma stared up into his cold eyes as he gripped her, and pressed her brows together at his last statement.

" 'Helpless'?! I am **not** helpless! You better take that back, or else we can have another little experiment, and this time, _I'll win!"_ She said without thinking, earning a wry grin from him.

"Oh? Do you enjoy playing games with me, little Woman?" He chuckled lowly; a gleam of interest in his eye.

"Yeah, I have an idea, how about we play..uh..whoever gets to the ship first _wins!"_ She said suddenly without thinking, squirming her way out of his hands and scrambling towards the ship pathetically, thinking perhaps she could jump in and get away, not before being stopped by his solid chest. Vegeta rested his hand on the ship's hood, then turned to look back at it and surged a ball of energy into it, jumping up deftly then sweeping her up with him as the ship blew apart with a loud crash, large pieces of metal slicing through the air. Vegeta turned his back to the blast and shielded her from it.

Bulma squirmed in his arms, crying out frantically and slapping at his chest, kicking whatever she could in her anger.

"How could you?! That was 10 months worth of work!" He looked back at the results of the explosion with a grim expression, adjusting her in his arms so she couldn't struggle.

"I can't have you sending any more accidental messages. Besides, I'd rather have Frieza think Kakarot is dead.." He mused, frowning.

Bulma stilled her pointless struggle, rendered immobile by the iron hard grip around her waist and arms, her legs were trapped between his in a deathly pretzel, if she were to struggle anymore he could easily break them.

Bulma bravely looked up into his darkened features beneath the rays of the sun at his back.

"My friend Goku did die, thanks to me..." Her eyes began to water, "Because I made the stupid call, because I was too depressed to even make it to see him one last time and he was killed by that brute.. _Raditz!"_ She said the last word callously, blinking hard and allowing her tears to fall on Vegeta's chest; soaking into the neckline of his white beater.

He processed the girl's words, and connected them to what he had heard in the Scouter's Log. Vegeta frowned, he would like to think that he could delay his overlord's eventual discovery of the failed mission, by simply destroying the ancient ship and any traces of their whereabouts, but it wasn't that easy. In fact, it seemed impossible. There was no feasable way to defeat Frieza, nor evade him.

_What can I do, here on earth? Simply bide my time until my eventual death? Or perhaps… This **girl** could be of use to me?_ Vegeta thought; his eyes lowered to the sniffling girl in his arms.

"Say, where's my prize if I'm the winner?" He spoke gruffly, in a rough whisper, lifting her face by her delicate chin and allowing himself to gaze into those strange blue eyes that were luminous with tears, reflecting the sky above.

Bulma gasped, taken by surprise by his soft voice and the way he seemed to be admiring her, stroking one of her curls back from her brow and lowering his face to hers, she froze, not even breathing as she heard a soft intake of breath at her crown, then he grazed his cheek across her soft hair. Feeling; absorbing her scent, allowing himself to touch those strange silken locks that were such a unique color.

Her tears were quelled by her sudden surprise as he pulled her back and carefully wiped her tears away with the back of his hand, his rough knuckles almost scraping her cheek, as he turned her face and wiped the other.

"There, stop all that useless crying. What has been done cannot be altered now." He said sharply, lowering her gradually to the ground. Bulma nodded, and in a way she felt better, she allowed a small smile to shine through.

"Thank you.. Vegeta." She said, and planted a quick kiss on his cheek, hopping back from him and giggling as he flinched back from her, appalled.

"There's your prize! Hope you like it." She said with a soft teasing wink, only attempting to ignore her own sadness and distract him from whatever was going through his mind. Bulma took off running back to the house, laughing with her hands on her bright pink cheeks at what she'd just done and gotten away with too.

Vegeta growled and wiped his cheek briskly with the back of his hand and advanced on her, stopping her instantly by latching his tail around her waist and spinning her around quickly, he returned the favor, pressing his lips firmly to hers, stopping her from resisting by holding her arms firmly to her sides.

Bulma's breath caught in her throat as she felt his lips crushing against hers, stealing the very breath from her as she gasped with her surprise, her lips parting to allow him to take a taste of her. Her knees weakened as he swept his hot tounge through her lips and lashed it inside her mouth, sampling her sweet flavor. Vegeta wrapped his arms around her sinking form tighter, arching her back as he fervently kissed her. Bulma hesitantly wrapped his tongue with hers, feeling a surge of excitement so intense it was indistinct from fear. She quivered uncontrollably as he pulled back violently with a grazing of his pointed canine on her lip; he parted from her just as quickly as he had come.

Blood trickled from her bottom lip, as she gazed into his dark pupils, surrounded by coal irises. She felt his exhale of hot breath on her as he licked the blood from her chin and sucked her lip, his dark lashed eyes closed as he rumbled pleasedly at the taste of her blood. Vegeta pulled back and sneered; licking her scarlet blood from his lips. His eyes gleamed with hunger; whether for a carnal desire or for human flesh, she was afraid of either.

" See, you _are_ helpless...Even to _my_ advances." He scoffed coldly, his fingertips dug into the soft flesh of her back; his tail writhed almost like a snake around her waist as he questioned whether or not to toss her aside or pull her closer.

"No! I l-love Yamcha!" She said, then frowned at the weakness in her statement. It was a pathetic excuse, after what she'd seen last night; the wound was still fresh, she had yet to confront Yamcha about his infidelity, but she'd seen more than enough to know what was going on.

Vegeta laughed harshly, "I am not capable of such a foolish human emotion."

He grunted, pulling away from her violently and glaring down at her voluptuous thighs where he had been so transfixed last night by the trickling fluids of her feminine arousal, now scenting that familiar exotic musk that dared to tease at his senses once again. He shook his head vigorously; as if trying to ignore his reaction to the scent, to shake the urges clawing up inside his belly.

"What I _am_ capable of understanding is simply that your vulgar female body is lubricating itself in order to be penetrated, by _my_ organ alone." He stated the fact as if he viewed sex as just a robotic, predictable action, with no feeling or commitment to it at all, grinning cockily, as if only he were able to do such a thing to her. Bulma blinked at him in disbelief.

_So what if I'm turned on? As if I would simply **agree** and lie down for him at his command?!_ She thought, and shook her head violently, her cheeks hot with embarrassment, covering her mouth with shame.

"That's _B-Bullshit!"_ She objected, at a loss for words. He nodded curtly, and turned away.

"You deny it, then... What an utter waste of time. Go on and make yourself useful. Get my armour finished, I have more important matters to attend to." He said icily; closing himself off completely to her, he tore his eyes away from her shocked gaze, only the nape of his lowered neck visible beneath all of his raven hair.

Bulma stood still a moment, frozen by confusion at all the mixed emotions and signals that made no sense coming from him.

"NOW!" He ordered, and Bulma scurried away, for once not wishing at this time to argue with him. She went to do as he said, against her bodies wishes; and before he started discussing the mechanics of intercourse with her, something that Bulma would only do with a man she _loved._

* * *

Inside the cliffside abode, Kannon stood impatiently against the cellar door as Propel continued to stir the gruel, humming contentedly, the steam rising and curling in the air. Propel's many children clung to her legs or ran around the kitchen playing, before being picked up by Grenada or Reign to be taken into another room where they would behave.

The scent was foul, the gruel was made of whatever dead fish or seagull washed ashore, and whatever mystery vegetation that came with it. It was not meant to taste good, and every bone and organ remained in the gruel as well as scales. The only objective was to keep the Saiyans alive, there was no need to be finicky about what kept them alive, because they ate it regardless.

"All set. Be careful, they might nibble your fingers off if they're hungry enough!" She giggled, then handed Kannon the deep cooking pot, and a ladle. She only nodded back, her red bandana was tied around her face in order to cover her nose from the acrid scent in the basement, as she opened the door and walked down the long set of stairs, seeing the faint flickering yellow light from the one bulb that provided light. She came to the foot of the stairs and turned to see the state of what was before her, a large man lie motionless on the table before her, strapped and chained down. Surrounding him, to the far walls there were 8 cages in all, where dark shifting forms looked out the bars eagerly at the scent of food.

Kannon hefted up the stew pot, removing the lid and went around filling the bowls on the floor, then slid them under the bars of the cages so they could kneel face down and slurp up the gruel like dogs. She scoffed in disgust at the pitiful sight, walking around the man in the center who followed her weakly with his eyes, to the other side where she filled the other four food bowls and slid them to the hungry saiyans inside, who did not hesitate to start eating, eagerly. Kannon turned to face the man on the table, only her green eyes were visible over the bandana, but Nappa could see the spiteful glint in them as she approached him.

"So, you think you're still in command of these spineless primates?" She seethed lowly, setting down the pot and going to unlatch the large steel bar that cut into his chest, peeling it back with a loud tear, causing him to grunt as the first layer of skin melded to the bar tore off.

"Oops, my bad. I have to get you up to eat. **Can** you sit up?" She snarled, unlatching the bar around his arm. Nappa grunted, "Yes." He diverted his eyes from the small yet sinewy woman, as she walked around to release the other bar. Nappa inhaled deeply as his body became freed, the table was not meant for a man of his size, and the shackles left deep red indents in his skin that could not heal as long as they were continually squeezed.

"Well, get up, **ape.** Don't you want your gruel?" She growled, shoving at his shoulder with her gun. Nappa groaned as he attempted to sit up, feeling ashamed that his muscles had become stiff from the inactivity.

"For cryin' out loud!" Kannon moaned angrily, coming up behind him she pushed on his shoulders to assist him to sit up, pushing firmly on his back littered with scars that told of many lacerations by a sharp whip tail. Nappa sat up with a pained grunt, his hands were still shackled to the table as he looked to her and his stomach growled audibly.

"Oh jeez, I'm gettin to it!" She chuckled harshly, in amusement of his pitiful state.

Kannon hefted up the pot and dipped the ladle in, holding it before his thick jaw carved from stone, perspiration beaded on his face, and dark circles had formed beneath his hard glare.

"Eat." She ordered, nudging his mouth with the ladle. Nappa turned his face away, diverting his eyes. It was too demeaning. "You have to eat, Nappa." She said, viciously. He turned back to her, his eyes widening. "You know my name?" He said gruffly, and Kannon grunted back. "Course I do, idiot. Now just eat already, I don't wanna stare at your hideous face any longer." She nudged his mouth, splashing the putrid green liquid down his chin. Nappa licked his lips and began drinking the gruel, taking a piece of bone and grinding it between his powerful molars.

Kannon watched as he ate with her sharp green eyes narrowing, dipping the spoon in again and putting it to his mouth. He began eating eagerly, ignoring the noxious flavor and slurping in the dazed stupor that all these primates seemed to fall into while eating, Kannon grimaced beneath her bandana and quickly refilled the ladle. He ate, and ate, until Kannon simply held the pot to his mouth so he could drink down the gritty remnants of the gruel. She took the pot away once he was done and set it down, turning back to allow her eyes to linger over him, at his barrel chest glistening with the remaining gruel.

Nappa looked down at himself and sighed, there was a large, festering wound where he had been hit with a torpedo, he had managed to deflect it just barely as the explosion sent the torpedo rocketing at him, just before the large ki blast knocked him down, saving him from further injury as he was knocked unconscious.

His abdomen was angrily inflamed and oozing yellow pus; infested by wriggling white maggots that had been laid in the warmth of his exposed flesh.

Kannon noticed this and gasped, cringing back a few paces. Nappa looked to her, with a tiny gleam in his eye that asked her for help. Kannon looked around the room, rubbing her sleeveless bicep nervously.

"I-I'll send Propel down. She'll take care of it. We can't have you spreading disease to all the others." She said shakedly, stepping back a few more steps but trapped by his endless black eyes that begged for mercy. Propel would tell Vulcane, and he would do nothing. He would allow him to suffer and waste away.

"Please.." He murmured, then lowered his gleaming pate, dark blue veins bulged from his forehead to his skull where he strained to hide the pain.

"Uh.. O-okay.." Kannon said cautiously, and crept closer to him. He didn't lift his head.

"...You must remove the parasites, and the dead flesh. After that, my body can heal on it's own." Nappa said quickly, then looked up once again, his jaw set firmly and his stern expression faltered, wincing with pain.

"I have to be quick." She whispered, and looked around the room for something to remove the corruption with. There was a steel table to the side of the hospital bed, and on it was a pair of pliers. Kannon took the pliers, as Nappa lied down with a pained grunt. She came closer to observe the writhing mass. It was a battle in her mind if this was right or not; to help the man who almost single handedly slayed her people.

Kannon listened to his heavy rattling breaths, watched the sweat beading and falling down his face. After all, they weren't so different; were they?

He was almost… _Human._

"Alright. But I won't be gentle. I can't take any longer or they'll come looking." She whispered, and with that she pulled on a blackened piece of flesh, and wrenched it away with a sickening tear as he bellowed out in agony.

* * *

The desert plain was barren, the only movement drifts of sand as the rumble of a S-Cargo motorcycle made rifts in the silty earth, a shadow fell across the earth as Raditz came down and landed on the ground, bending his knees and jumping up with a powerful lunge, Launch swung her white bike around to watch as he came down again, his umber black mane a flame at his back as he landed; the sand rising and swirling around him.

_"Wowiee!_ Your legs are **strong!"** She giggled, hopping off the bike perfectly made for her small stature, running towards Raditz so he could sweep her up in his arms. He caught her, chuckling.

"That's nothing. Just stretching out my legs." He responded, then brushed her bangs back from her brow and lowered his face to give her a kiss. A bit of sand went up her nose, making it begin to twitch.

_"Ah..ah..chu!"_ She sneezed, and with a jangling vibration in his arms she was once again blonde and boisterous. Launch looked up to Raditz and immediately started trying to get out of his arms, protesting.

"What the heck is goin' on? Where the hell are we?!" She crowed as she finally tore herself from his grip, but found once again she was bound by his tail around her waist like a leash.

"Urgh! Leggo a' me!" She yelled, running in the opposite direction.

"You aren't going anywhere, where my Launch goes, you go. I don't trust you." Raditz said, pulling her back to him. Launch slumped her shoulders and groaned.

"Well I don't trust you neither!"

She grumbled, crossing her arms defiantly. Raditz snorted and looked down at her scowling face

"I don't fucking care, like I _need_ the trust of a mouthy female. You're not going back to that male. You're staying here." He said, gruffly, and tightened his grip on her.

"_Blah, blah, blah, mine mine mine!_ She's her **own** woman ya know!" Launch retorted, disliking the way he spoke of her. "She _is_ my woman. Now, shut up and sit here." Launch froze, ready to retort back, then Raditz reached down and put his finger in her shorts pocket, making her squeal and look frantically around for some type of weapon.

"Don't you dare manhandle me! I'll tell Launch!" She warned, and he only chuckled softly, pulling her keys out of her pocket and dangling them up high above her head. "That's not manhandling, if I did that, you wouldn't be breathing, girl." With that, he put the keys in his back pocket and let go of his firm hold around her waist. Raditz turned to return to his exercise, but was startled when he felt something grab at his bottom. He turned quickly and glared down at the blonde female, who froze in place where she was trying to steal the keys.

"Uh.. heh heh! I was just trying to see if that freaky tail was real!" She bluffed, putting her hands behind her. He raised one eyebrow at her quizzically and shook his head.

"Just stay here and behave." Then he turned away, and began stretching a few feet from her, pulling on his thick arms and legs until they cracked, then flipped himself over and began doing pushups on one arm, his body vertical in the air as he glared at her, watching to make sure she didn't make any move to escape. Launch looked away, and instead stared at the long stretch of desert, huffing and sitting down on her bottom as he continued his exercises. Raditz counted to 50, then switched to the other arm, observing the blonde female with pink cheeks who was determined to not look at him for some odd reason.

"This is dumb!" She complained, and looked the other way, her eyes grazing over him discreetly as he finished his repetitions. Raditz switched to a horizontal position, pushing up his body weight with only his tail. He groaned, this was something he only just started doing after realizing how imperative it was to be able to have a strong tail in case he was ever bed ridden again. It was painful, and his body shook as he lifted himself with a grunt. Launch turned to eye him and laughed at his struggling, sweat was pouring from him as he continued to lift his weight with only the strength of his tail. He growled, exhaling harshly as he reached 25 lifts.

"What's so funny, Girl?" He growled, pausing to wipe the sweat from his brow.

"You! You're pathetic! You shoulda seen the things Goku could do with his tail, it might not have been as long as yours but it was certainly stronger." She laughed, crossing her arms. He snorted. "Is that so?" Launch nodded.

"Yup. I bet Goku could lift that S-Cargo bike with his tail." She nodded towards the bike and Raditz quickly stood, and glared down at her, panting.

"Get on." He gravelled, and Launch stood without hesitation, throwing one leg over the seat in her determination to prove him wrong.

"Bet you'll break your _poor wittle_ tail bone!" She sneered, not before feeling something wrap firmly around her thighs, then beneath the bike as she gripped the handles and gasped as it lifted into the air. He lifted the bike and Launch, gritting his teeth as he curled it up above the back of his head, it took all the muscle in his lower back and worked it in a way he had never experienced, he huffed and worked through the pain, lowering her once again and up again.

Launch tried to hide her excitement as he began lifting faster, she surged upwards, bouncing in the seat and let out a small yelp, earning a quick glance over his shoulder. Her other half inside was squealing for him to 'Do It again, again!' excitedly but she held it back and pretended it didn't surprise her that he could do such an amazing feat.

"Seems I can do one over you, Kakarot." Raditz grunted, and after 100 repetitions he set her down carefully and sighed, satisfied for now that he had excersized enough. The girl's suggestion was a good one, he felt energized with the familiar feeling of endorphins coursing through his veins. Launch turned her face away and ignored him. Raditz tossed her the keys back, with a soft chuckle.

"Let's go find a shady area. Little Launch packed a nice lunch and some drinks. I'm sure she wouldn't mind if I shared them with you until she comes back." He said, his grating voice as soft as possible. Launch looked to the keys in her hand and put them in the ignition, thinking perhaps she would just take off.

_Well, I don't have anything else to do... I really don't want to go home and confront Tien..._ She turned on her bike and nodded to him with a small smile, and followed his shadow over the desert plain.

* * *

He looked down at the cracked sidewalk, going past the yellow caution tape and construction signs where the damage to East City had occured, not far from his apartment and where his work had been completely demolished, after all he only worked at a fast food place, and it was the kind of job he could get anywhere. Yamcha looked to Puar hovering behind him, hearing the magic cat's grumpy murmurs behind him.

"What's the problem, Puar?" He spat, throwing an empty bottle into the side of a brick building. Yamcha still wore his clothes from last night, after going home with Fancy they'd gotten into a big argument over Bulma, Fancy demanded that he stop seeing her and start giving her some sign that he was only committed to her. He didn't know whether he should just drop his whole charade to keep Bulma never the wiser, or if he should just drop Fancy.

"Are you going to Kame House for training today..?" Puar asked warily, hanging back as Yamcha paused and slumped his shoulders. "I don't know."

Yamcha's phone rang in his jacket, he sluggishly moved to grab it, seeing that it was Krillin he sighed heavily and opened his phone. "Yeah, What's up, Krillin?"

He tilted his head back, strolling up and down the dilapidated block,

" Uh, I'm just waking up... Yeah long night last night. Bulma's been acting crazy..."

He laughed, scratched at his shaggy mop, kicking a can on the ground.

"I know, Krillin. I will tell her. Now's just not the right time, me and Fancy are fighting and she kicked me out-" He grumbled with agitation as Krillin interrupted, Puar could hear him yelling into the phone.

_" Its not right, Yamcha! Just cut it off with Fancy! She's no good for you! Bulma's been your girlfriend for--"_ Yamcha clicked the phone shut, grumbling he threw it to the ground and smashed it, stomping it with his foot.

Puar jumped, backing away a few inches. "Just get outta here! _Scram!_ Go back with Oolong, or somewhere I don't care! I'm going to make up with them both and fix this!" He yelled, his cheeks were ruddy from an excess of alcohol consumption, his eyes were bloodshot and baggy.

"Krillin is right, you have to make a decision! Bulma doesn't deserve to be treated this way!" He piped up, squeaking angrily, then he zipped off into the distance, crying all the while. Yamcha turned away and spat, looking at the mangled remnants of his phone on the ground and kicking it to the side, he stormed off and went back into the apartment, slamming the door. _"Where have you been, Yamcha! You better not have been with that **bitch,** Bulma!"_ A scream from inside rang out through the quiet streets, and his answering bellow in return.

"_Why do you always yell at me, can't you just be happy I'm home! I love you Fancy, you know that! I haven't wanted Bulma in **Years!"**_ There was the sound of breaking glass and sobbing as he stormed through the house, slamming the door to go get dressed for the day, away from her and her screeching.

* * *

There was a resonating hum from up high in the mountains, a golden hue lit the trees as Tien repeated his stance for his unique move, Reikitzen. Chiaotzu stood back, off to the side uneasily observing as the ball grew larger, and larger, until the point light was spilling from between Tien's fingers, circling around and around as he strained to contain the ball within his hands, moving them back shakedly to the side of his hip, then thrusting foreward with a bellow he allowed the shot to release, blinding them both the great streak of light filled the sky, rocketing down the cliffside and hitting the ground with a low rumble, encompassing the crater from before by at least ten feet. He exhaled and sagged to his knees in the water, panting. Chiaotzu came foreward carefully, his eyes wide and mouth a tight line.

"Are you ok, Tien?" He asked, tilting his head a small amount. Tien laughed shakedly, "Oh I'm more than okay, Chiaotzu. My power is increasing by the day! Pretty soon I'll be just as strong as the Saiyans, If not stronger!" He chuckled, standing and crossing his arms cocklily.

"Yes but.. Does it not harm you anymore?"

"I'm fine, in fact I feel better than ever before. I don't get weakened anymore! I've made myself immune to it." He said proudly, stepping out of the water and placing his hands on his hips and staring out at the horizon.

"I just don't understand... How? " Chiaotzu said, his small voice quivering.

" Let's not be ungrateful for the gift that Buddha has blessed me with, Chiaotzu. I know that he has a plan for me. I intend to use this gift, just imagine! What I could do with such a power!" He said in awe, looking at his own hand, at the surging gossamer tendrils of light wrapping around his fingers and lacing through his flesh hungrily. He gazed at the planets visible in the sky, Mars and Neptune crept ever closer to one another, the light radiated down and the atmosphere was lit with rosy periwinkle clouds, softly concealing the solar anomaly.

* * *

He pulled the familiar white glove over his hand, turning it over and flexing his long fingers, Vegeta grinned. He looked at himself in the mirror dressed in his Elite Armour, now replicated by the Woman; it shone flawlessly in the opalescent light coming from the window. He picked his scouter up off the table, wiping the lense clean with one clothed digit until the red glass shone, and attached it to his ear and turned it on.

Vegeta's tail lashed around his back excitedly, and he grabbed it with one hand and squeezed it to quell its excited twitching, wrapping it around his waist with control. _Control._ The word whirled around in his mind, twisting with the thoughts that vexed him; his memories of the woman mixed with his dark musings. **Dominating** the woman, silencing her infernal racket in such a demeaning way that made him grin to himself.

_I am in control._ He nodded to himself in the mirror, his hand going to the door knob, then pausing. _If I go out there, I'm sure to have another **encounter** with her..._

He released the knob and turned away briskly, glancing down at the dresser where his clothes and armour were stashed away, the tip of his tail twitching.

_I will return._ He thought briefly, then opened the window the rest of the way and jumped out onto the ground.

* * *

Bulma snickered as she crept back over to her mysterious guest's room, holding a plastic cap behind her back with many wires and trailing electrodes that she planned on attaching somehow to all that spiky hair, as she knocked on the door and heard no response inside.

_That's odd, normally he at least **grunts** or something._ She shrugged and swung the door open, surprised by the gust of wind flapping the curtain inward, in the empty room.

"Vegeta...?" She stepped inside carefully, looking around at the made bed, without a single wrinkle in the sheet, the militant pristine room, and tiptoed to the attached bathroom, where the door was slightly ajar. "Hello?" She said, pushing the door open only to see it was empty. She frowned, looking at the wire cap in her hands and sighed, then walked over to the window and closed it. "Ungrateful Jerk! So he just takes my armour and leaves?!" Bulma plopped on his bed, grumbling.

_I had a whole day planned for us! I need to get more stats on him!_ She huffed, rolling over onto her back and stared at the ceiling. _Guess I'm not surprised, an uptight guy like that.. Kisses and leaves too._ She closed her eyes and remembered, touching her swollen bottom lip with a small smile; her only proof that it had been real.Bulma sighed and allowed her hand to trail down her chest, playing with a lock of soft hair.

_Oh, Vegeta…_


	11. Switch Up, Back Down

The hours seemed to crawl on ever so slowly as Chi-Chi made her way up Korin's great pillar of a tower, she dug her nails into the engraved stone, no longer concerned by the chipping of her red nail polish as she groaned, clawing her way up, with a push of one foot then another_. I won't be brought down by some high and mighty tower, I'm Chi-Chi Mao! The strongest woman in the world! Wife of Son Goku, Mother of Gohan, Daughter of the great Ox King!_

She thought proudly, giving herself the encouragement to push onward, gritting her teeth and furrowing her brows over her dark ebony eyes as she shot one hand upward and grasped the stone, tiny pieces of the inlaid stone over the ancient bark crumbled as her foot ground against the hard surface, causing Chi-Chi to gasp and hold on tightly as her foot searched for its bearing. She began to slide slowly downward, her nails making rivets as she dug them in and wrenched her lithe body upwards with a roar of defiance, Chi-Chi climbed up higher, wiping the sweat that stuck her bangs to her brow on her sleeve and continued onward.

The raucous cry of a raven below startled her only slightly as she continued, staring only upward and never down, as Chief Bora had advised her to do. _Caw Caw!_

"Shut up, stupid bird!" Chi-Chi growled out, frustrated by the distracting sound. She looked down at the black bird circling the tower, swooping around and attempting to nab the sparkling wedding ring on her finger.

"Oh no you don't!" Chi- Chi balled up her fist protectively, making a swing for the bird, as it came around again and landed on her fist, leaning down to peck at her hand. Chi-Chi shook her fist, unable to move the other that was gripping the stone desperately as she started to wail, then finally shook off the stubborn bird.

"Get out of here, shoo!" She flapped her hand, feeling the sweat building under the other one that was on the tower. The bird cackled, flapping its raggedy wings with loose feathers falling before the beating sun at it's back, and landed on her head. Chi-Chi screamed, and clawed at her skull with both hands, the crow flew away from her grasp and she realised with dread that both hands were now off the tower, only her legs wrapped around it as her back began to arch and Chi-Chi fell back, screaming as the sky behind her flashed through her eyes, and knocked her head against the stone, grunting.

She used her legs to squeeze firmly as she could, and sat up, quivering until she finally was upright and could grip the hot stone once again, she pressed her cheek there and sighed with relief. _Caw! Caw!_ Chi-Chi heard the irritating sound once again and growled audibly, roaring in anger she managed to get the small katana from her waistband and sliced it through the air threateningly.

"Move it, before you become crow fillets! I'm no stranger to raw poultry, I'll dice you right up and cook you for my lunch!" She screamed, waving the sword and finally frightening the raven away, sending it squawking back down to the ground after taking an inch off its tail feathers. Chi-Chi chuckled, sheathing the sword and returned her gaze back to her objective; nothing would stop her from reaching her goal. Her figure became just a small speck in the distance as clouds drifted across the sky, partially concealing the great tower.

* * *

There seemed to be no end in sight before him as Goku finally slowed his gait, having ran for a few days with only a few breaks in between, he was starting to feel the effects. He'd run out of Ki early on after flying for the entirety of the first day, then took to running which didn't require any at all and was a good workout anyways. He skidded to a stop, regaining his balance and placing his hands on his knees to take some well deserved breaths.

He stood back up and looked down the path, sighing. Goku knelt down from the spined edge and took a few armfuls of fluffy yellow clouds and began stuffing his face with their marshmallow-like consistency, they tasted good but it was nothing like Chi-Chi's home cooking. He brushed some yellow puffs from his face and stretched, bending to the side one way, then the other and stretching his legs. "Well, can't afford to waste much more time!" And sped off, his unwavering determination undoubtedly the reason for his success.

* * *

There was a small oasis full of life at the edge of the long desert, where in its shade two figures sat beneath a tree, crosslegged on the ground with a large red box between them. Launch took the smaller black box and opened it, taking out the chopsticks and popping a fried hot dog cut in the shape of a octopus in her mouth as she observed her strange new acquaintance open his box and disregard the chopsticks with a snort, instead grabbing fistfuls of food and eating out of his hands messily. Launch didn't seem bothered to notice his bad table manners as her skillful hand started wrapping noodles around the utensils and slurping them down.

Raditz nearly stuffed his entire face into the large bento box that her other self had packed, full of a variety of classic Japanese goodies, Onigiri rice balls, Tamagoyaki omelettes, fried meat, pickled vegetables and an assortment of tiny white radish slices with small smiley faces with large eyebrows and a seaweed cut out that clearly resembled his hair across the back. Launch chuckled, holding the Radish up before him and comparing it to how he currently looked, with his cheeks all full of food, with tiny flecks of rice all over, a glazed over expression cast over his dark eyes.

"You're gonna look like this thing If you keep eatin' like that! Heheh!" Launch whipped the tiny resemblance at him so that it stuck to his forehead. Raditz paused his inhaling and tried to look at his own forehead, his eyes going cross as his tounge swept over his cheek to lick up some sauce there. Launch chuckled,

"I really wish I had a camera! That face is _priceless!_ Ha!" She laughed giddily.

Raditz finally managed to peel off the Radish and crushed it between his fingers angrily, the black seaweed still stuck to his furrowed brow like a tiny flame. She fell over cackling, kicking her legs and pounding her fists on the ground as he stood and growled.

"What's so funny?" He nudged her with the toe of his boot to make her stop her uncontrollable laughter. Launch sat up, regaining her wits and her lunch, popping more noodles in her mouth and smirking at him as he sat back down, the seaweed still flapping on the breeze. She snorted, then gulped, afraid the noodles would come out her nose like they had done once before when she laughed so hard at Oolong getting his tail caught in the door, squealing and scrambling to get away helplessly as she was overcome with laughter. Launch was entertained more by things of a darker nature, she would laugh at someone getting hurt in a funny way where as someone else might feel bad and shame her for laughing.

"I still fail to understand what has made you so mirthful." He grunted, crossing his arms and lowering his chin to his chest like a petulant child.

"Oh, for the love of-- criminy, ya still got seaweed on your forehead doofus!" Launch grumbled with irritation, then stood and quickly plucked it off his brow with the chopsticks, causing him to flinch back and rub there as if she'd done offensive something to him. He got up, brushing off his clothes of food particles and turned briskly away from her, standing as if on guard in his stubborn refusal to leave her on her own.

Launch glared at the wall of hair and didn't hesitate to quickly stuff her mouth with food, then took a large gulp of soda and burped loudly. Raditz seemed to cringe outwardly with surprise at the loud sound erupting from the small female, turning around abruptly and staring with widened eyes at her as she simply shrugged and crushed the soda can on the ground.

"S'cuse me. I guess that wasn't _ladylike."_

She scoffed, not caring really at all to impress the man with feminine delicacy, not shy to cram the hot dog creature right in her mouth, and bite it cleanly in half, making him shudder and turn back around with his shoulders narrowed.

"If you're done eatin', just leave. I know my way back home. I ain't no _delicate flower_ like you're used to." She mumbled, scratching her full belly and resting against the tree.

Something about her features was indeed more hard, more rugged yet still was feminine, she didn't actually change size after all, and her body was toned but not nearly anything worth snorting at to Raditz. He leaned against the tree with one hand and and made a deep whine of agitation, scratching at the back of his head and glancing impatiently around them.

He was hot, and gritty with sand, his hair plastered to his back. Granted, he had been in much warmer climates, but he'd never gotten used to the sweltering heat beating on his back, and he refused to put some type of feminine hair restraint on just to help aid him in cooling off. He had other methods, that had always worked just fine.

"We're not supposed to leave just yet, well, Little Launch and I had plans..." He said, not finishing his sentence with a gulp. He looked away at the girl slumped against the tree below him, wiping her brow with her arm and enjoying the shade that his wide girth provided her.

Launch growled, standing and finding herself trapped beneath his arm like an extension of the tree.

_"Now_ what? Ya know, I may share alot of things with Launch but I ain't no placeholder til she gets back, ever think maybe I have my own plans?"

Raditz growled back, eying her suspiciously.

"I suspect you do, not that I **approve** of...and that is precisely why the safest place for you is with me." He said sharply, placing one hand on her shoulder before she could bolt away.

"Oh sure, I'm _real_ safe with you! Ha! Tien is such a nice guy, he would _never_ do the things I'm sure you have done, you really think I just forgot what you intended to do when you came here!?" She said, crossing her arms defiantly.

Raditz was silent, mulling over his answer. He smirked a small amount remembering how she was the first earthling he had laid eyes on, and had fully intended to get to know her better, but that was before he met the other Launch.

"I came to retrieve Kakarrot, and he was unwilling, so I had to resort to other methods." He said with a shrug.

"What would you have done if he agreed?" She responded, becoming genuinely curious.

"My mission was to retrieve him and return him to Lord Frieza. But first, we would have assessed the value of Earth, and if deemed profitable; cleared the planet of inhabitants and turned over the planet to our Lord's Empire."

He responded honestly, that was how he saw it simply put, being so accustomed to it. He was aware that it was a irreputable thing to do, but over the years had become immune to feeling sorry for the inhabitants, instead he eliminated them as quickly as possible before they could scream and cry.

Launch was silent, she stared up at him looking for a shred of empathy, some sign within those dark irises that he felt remorse for what he had done.

"...It was just a job to you, huh? Just some way to make a living?" She turned her face and spat, no longer wishing to face him.

"Yes." He murmured, downcast; lowering his head. In a way it seemed as if he almost felt shameful. Launch turned back and observed how he stared at the grass at his feet, digging into the bark above her head with his nails.

"...I'm sorry for asking. But I had to know, ya know, I hope you don't still feel that way about our planet...? Humans might be pretty dumb and worthless to you but we're not just some parasite in the way of your next paycheck!" She said, yelling up into his face to get some reaction from him, she felt as if she almost needed to see him break down and cry, if that were at all possible maybe then she would believe him.

Raditz looked to her and his face was taut with unreleased emotion, his eyes were as solid and unyielding as flint.

"I know that now. I... understand why you would protect this planet, it is... _fascinating."_ He said in a softer voice, this hand on her shoulder suddenly felt much heavier and warmer, his coarse palm moved just a fraction of a centimeter and back as if questioning if it was alright to calm her.

Launch cringed from his touch, squirming further back against the tree, her heart pounding as she realized he was looking at her in a very inquisitive way, with those obsidian eyes seeming to swallow all of her up in the way that they seemed to catch every tiny movement she made; drilling into her mind in such a way it felt like a violation of her privacy.

Launch snarled with frustration and brought her knee up firmly into his abdomen, causing him to blink and look down where it was lodged with confusion. Launch retracted her knee in pain, and began struggling to get out of his grip, pulling at his fingers on her shoulder with frustration.

"Stop. I'm not trying to harm you." He lifted his hand and Launch scrambled away and fell onto the grass, regaining her wits and sitting up on her side.

He advanced on her slowly, his heavy steps seemed to frighten her with each move, so he attempted to make them softer, and knelt down to her cringing form. Raditz tilted his head and eyed her curiously, as Launch sat up and got herself back together, brushing grass off her clothes and huffing. The female was red faced and panting from the sweltering humidity, her blonde locks clinging to her cheeks.

Raditz looked around and reached into his pocket where he had stored away a bundle of clothes, and held it out in front of her. It was some type of garment that Launch had excitedly tried on for him before they had left the house, asking if he liked it and he had agreed.

"W-What is that? You want me to wear _that?!"_ She cringed back in disgust, at the frilly, pink one-piece bathing suit.

"Well, yes if you wish to cool off." He said as if miffed and shrugged, then stood and started peeling off his clothes, taking off his tight red shirt and revealing his sculpted stomach, the dark trail that led down to his tightly stretched jeans. Launch flushed and covered her eyes, turning the other way and yowling in distress.

"Don't get naked right in front a' me, I don't wanna see _that!"_

Raditz lifted one eyebrow and held his clothes in one hand and her bathing suit in the other, stripped down to his black shorts.

"Get undressed." He said, and tossed the pink thing towards her and walked away, leaving her alone in the shady cove of trees. Launch turned shakedly and saw that he was gone, and the pink item of clothing laid on the grass, along with another pile of clothes and armour.

_Here we go again... Friggin dress up! Why do all men seem to think I'm some kinda dress up doll?!_

She growled and picked up the suit, then peeled a sweaty strand of hair from her face. She heard a loud splash of water and looked from the small opening in the weeds, seeing that he had already taken to the cool water nearby.

_Suppose it couldn't hurt just to get in to cool off for a minute, then I'm getting the hell outta here!!_

* * *

He had never seen anything like it, in all of Vegeta's twenty-eight human years of life, the blue expanse of water was seemingly endless, he scanned the water with his scouter, finding low level forms lived under the water, and he had been witness to one of these massive mammals as it breached the surface with a great exhale from its breathing apparatus at the top of its skull, then sunk it's long blue body back into the water with a hard splash of its wide tail fin.

_Who knows what a beast like that eats, most likely much more than even I am capable._

He lifted his eyes from the water and towards the beach, feeling confused by its appearance, the beach he had just been to not longer than a day and a half ago, was completely barren of all the results of the battle. He hovered above the beach and looked back towards the direction he came from.

_I'm certain that this is the same area as before, I may have been incapacitated but I clearly recall the direction we came from before that blast..._

He came to a soft landing on the sand, his white boots making smooth imprints as he walked carefully down the shore, observing his surroundings with a sceptical eye. He used his advanced olfaction to distinguish the faded scent of blood, of melted plastic and the strange stench of explosives. Yes, this was the place. Vegeta felt something hard in the sand beneath his foot, and as he brushed the sand away he saw it, the blue glass of Nappa's scouter. It was shattered irreparably, the entire device seemed crushed as if it had been stomped on. He disregarded it and continued following the trail, picking up on Nappa's unique scent.

Each Saiyan had a distinct scent that was similar in fragrance to only their closest relatives, Nappa's scent was a sort of an unpleasant skunk-like musk to him; due to the fact that they were both males one another's scent was abhorrent; only a Saiyan female would be able to discern if his scent was pleasant or not, and vise versa.

If she was in fact unrelated to him and in heat, Nappa's scent would be attractive, in fact irresistible. This was how Saiyan genetics had adapted to keep from same sex relations and interbreeding, which was why Vegeta was able to boast of having Pure blood, untainted by inbreeding.

Regardless, the scent was strong enough for Vegeta to track, so he continued to follow it, along with many other strange scents that came from either the beach, or the inhabitants. He could tell that there were lingering humanoid scents, but they smelled strange and different from the somewhat offal scents humans normally had, well, _except_ for the Blue Haired woman--

Vegeta snarled outwardly and walked faster, ignoring his thoughts of the woman, locking only onto Nappa's signature trace to the very edge of the beach, where as he scanned the sand for his dead body, he was strangely suspicious.

Something did not seem right when he looked at the rock pattern of the cliffside. The layers of sediment seemed fairly even, with varying tones of green, beige, yellow and brown, except in one area where things seemed, well for lack of a better term, _Fuzzy..._

He narrowed his eyes but couldn't seem to concentrate on the strange pattern, it was simply a blur of color in his otherwise perfect vision. Vegeta scanned the obstruction with his scouter, warily coming closer, as the readings came on the screen he stood against the rock wall, making himself flattened and moving impossibly slow as to not alert them of his presence. The screen read many power levels, there was a plethora of numbers flashing across the screen ranging from at the smallest of 10, to a familiar range of 4000, which he knew with a smug grin was Nappa.

He felt somewhat strangely though, as he read Nappa's reading other numbers in the thousands came up as well, and to his surprise one was even at 17,550, nearly as strong as his! It was flickering between 50 and 49 though, for whatever reason this being was weakened. Vegeta took a sharp intake of breath and stilled his surprise at the readings when an opening was made in the wall, and out of it came a humanoid man wearing a red gi with a green snake pattern that wrapped around his back and down his arms, donning two long, black sheaths at his hips. He scanned the shore for activity, narrowing his hazel eyes and scowling. His reading was 1184, weaker than even Raditz, and it was steady. Vegeta smirked, he would be no challenge at all.

* * *

The floor beneath his shined boots was suddenly _very interesting_ as he walked across the glossy white tiles, each click of his heels echoing as he came to a stop at the scuffed area where he had stood for many a year in attendance to his Emperor, Zarbon released a soft exhale of air and raised his eyes to observe his master, who sat levitated in his hover chair, gazing out at the many ribbons of color that floated past, in all of the Galaxies that Frieza owned, this part was the most beautiful. Zarbon smiled and sighed as he too observed the passing stars, lowering his paperwork and tilting his head to brush back a soft green lock of hair.

"Do you plan to continually admire my backside, or are you prepared to give me the latest readings, Zarbon?" A rasping, cutting voice sliced through the air, sending a quiver through his spine. Zarbon straightened, clearing his throat and shuffled through his paperwork.

"Apologies, my lord. I have gathered the reports you requested."

"Good. Let's hear it." Frieza said lowly, slowly turning to face him with one pale clawed hand resting on the armrest, his crimson eyes luminious, dark sanguine pools. Zarbon looked at the numbers on the paper and began to read them off.

"The last signal from ship 276 was cut off today, it has been presumed inactive at this point. Raditz's scouter has been inactive for a span of 2 and a half days, Nappa's is inactive as well, the last power reading came in at a level of 1650, which was before his became untraceable as well." He read, swallowing and lowering the paper.

"...So, we can take it that the lesser two have presumably perished. No matter." He said with a shrug, rolling his eyes. Frieza tapped his claw on his chin and curled his black lip up cunningly.

"Let's have Vegeta's readings, I'm sure there must be something worthwhile there." Zarbon nodded eagerly, shuffling the papers and reading quickly.

"Ah yes, Vegeta's last reading was just a few minutes ago, sire. It read 1184."

Frieza nodded, satisfied.

_"So,_ these Earthlings have slightly above average power for lower beings. They should not be much of a challenge for him. Send him a message, to finish up whatever he is doing there and report back promptly. I want a full report on what happened to Raditz and Nappa, he was responsible for them as well as Kakarrot's location. If I find that Vegeta has **failed** to locate Kakarrot in Raditz's place I will be **most** disappointed." Frieza said with a grating seethe, slashing one hand through the air in haste. Zarbon nodded, his eyes darting to the paper and back nervously.

"Right away, Sire...Erm, Well, there is also a matter of importance we should consider.. In both Vegeta and Nappa's scouter logs I found a power reading of 1650.. It's not threatening to us by any means but I found this quite odd because it flickered momentarily between 1650 and 20,000... " He said, puzzled.

Frieza mused on this tiny bit of inconsequential information, playing at his pale cheek with a black nail and lowering his eyelids. Zarbon swallowed, awaiting a response. After a few long minutes of thought Frieza finally answered, with a lazy tilt of his horned head.

"...This fails to be _urgent_ news, Zarbon. Although, it is _curious._ As weak as it may be, to vary in such a **degree...** That demands the question, what kind of weak humanoid being that resides on Earth could **contain** such power without falling victim to spontaneous combustion!?"

His voice hitched up with agitation, his eyes widening at the thought, he had seen it many times before, when a being held too much power within them for their mortal form to bear, that ki could very well burn through their flesh if highly aggravated, and explode; leaving only a blackened smear across the ground where they stood.

Zarbon chuckled softly, his soft chuckle making Frieza smile in turn, then they began to laugh together raucously. Zarbon sighed and wiped a tear from his eye.

"I suppose it is of little consequence, if such a being exists surely they will blow themselves into nothing but ash before long!" He chortled, throwing the paper in the air and shaking his shoulders with laughter.

"Very well, Zarbon! What an amusing fate indeed!" Frieza responded and joined in the strange cackling laughter, that in it's ring held a fetid air of malcontent.

At the door, Dodoria stood in wait to be allowed in, wiping his pink spiked brow clean of sweat. The sound made him highly unnerved, as well as the memory of what had become of the last being that had suffered auto-ignition on Frieza's watch, and it was no laughing matter.

* * *

"This freaking _blows!_ He's going to repay me for all the damage he caused!" Bulma ranted, as she picked up the scattered pieces of the destroyed space pod off the ground, swearing under her breath as she examined them to see if it was worth trying to reattach them or not.

_How did I let him get me so distracted?! He gets into my head and just turns me into a blushing idiot!_

Bulma tossed the warped metal into a bin, where they would be melted down and recycled later, for now her concentration was getting herself back together, her college graduation ceremony was coming up and she hadn't even gotten the cap and gown, let alone prepared her speech!

Bulma paced around the yard picking up tiny bolts and scraps of metal, yelping when one sliced deep into her fingertip and she fell to her knees, gasping, clutching her wrist and only able to stare as the blood pulsed out. She hated to admit it, but Bulma had an intense fear of blood, and when she even saw a drop, let alone her own she froze up and became speechless.

"Babe? What are you doing?" A familiar voice said from afar, then became closer as Bulma's vision washed over with rosy

hued panic, the blood ebbed out freely down her arm, to her elbow and dripped on the ground.

"Oh man, you got yourself good! I'll get help!!" Yamcha's familiar voice was a small comfort in her ears, then was torn away as he ran in the house screaming for help. Bulma began to feel faint, her hand growing numb and tingly, then she fell to the ground listlessly, staring out blankly at the blades of grass before her.

"Oh my sweet angel! What happened?!" Bunny cried out, her hands concealing her enlarged blue eyes as Dr. Briefs knelt down and snapped his fingers in front of her face.

"Yamcha, my boy, start putting pressure on the wound. Panchy darling, fetch me a glass of ice water, please." He said, and continued snapping his fingers at her listless gaze; sighing through his thick mustache as his daughter's eyes remained glazed over with fear.

Bulma's anxiety and depression had become worse since returning home from her ventures across the world, he was sure it was a case of her going stir-crazy, exacerbated by the lack of excitement her life had now. She mainly stayed home working on various projects, never going out with friends besides Yamcha to drink on rare occasions, and on many of those come stumbling back into his house and straight up to her bedroom with the boy.

After his leave to train in the wilderness, Bulma had begun to isolate herself to the point that it was unhealthy, and as he observed Yamcha hovering over her and speaking sweet nothings into her ear he frowned deeply with disapproval, concealed by his grey and lavender facial hair.

"Its ok, Bulma, we've got this taken care of, don't worry your Yam Yam is here, I'll get you all cozy in bed and all relaxed... I'll get Mr. Snuggles and a nice warm cup of tea, turn on your favorite movies and we can just cuddle up in bed all day..."

Bunny came out promptly with the glass of ice water, her hand shaking as she handed it to her husband, who quickly splashed it on his daughter's face, he didn't like to do such a thing but it was the only way to snap her out of it as they got her to her knees and she sputtered out water, gasping and looking around in a panic.

"Vegeta?! _Where's Vegeta??"_ She gasped, startled by her own unexpected outburst; subconsciously searching for the comfort that he always seemed to be able to provide somehow, if he were there...

_He would have saved me before there was even a chance I could have been hurt... Vegeta... **Why** did you leave!?_

Her eyelids fluttered dazedly as she saw the concerned faces of her loved ones around her, Yamcha took her into his arms and got her up, scowling.

"Don't worry about him, **I've** got you now. Let's get you inside, Babe." Yamcha said, getting her to her feet.

Dr. Briefs glared intensely from beneath his bangs and followed them closely indoors, with Bunny following behind. She put her pink nails to her chin and tilted her head curiously at her husband, recognizing his tense expression and feeling concerned as they came inside. She touched his shoulder and he shrugged her off gently, turning quickly and storming downstairs to his lab.

Yamcha was unaware of the tension radiating off Dr. Breifs as he babied Bulma and cooed at her as if her brains were mush, picking her up and carrying her upstairs as her worried whimpers for Vegeta's safety could be heard.

"He took his a-armour, his armour! He d-destroyed..the ship and he s-said that this bad person named Fr-Frieza was going to know he didn't find _K-k-Ka...ka..rot...!!"_

She wheezed, beginning to hyperventilate now, quickly hushed by Yamcha, her legs flailing out as he stilled them and talked to her softly, her gasping breaths turning into frantic shrieks.

"It's O.K. babe, he can take care of himself, all I'm worried about is you... just think about how niiice it will be to relaaax... You need to forget allll about him and all his _stupid..."_

Bunny listened, and nodded to herself sadly, going to the kitchen with none of her usual excitement. Opening the cupboard, she took out a box of crackers, and on second thought, opened the medicine cabinet and read the label of an orange bottle of prescription medicine and sighed, pouring a tall glass of water and shaking a round blue Valium pill out of the bottle for Bulma.

_Where is that Prince Vegeta man? This hasn't happened to her since he's been around... Such a **nice** young man..._

* * *

A loud shriek echoed across the desert plains, then an enormous splash as Raditz dove headfirst into the pond and sent Launch flying out and back down into the water laughing, feeling giddy with mirth as he swam beneath her kicking feet like a predatory shark, his black mane slicked down his back like a dark fin, as she crawled back onto the bank and got herself up, waiting until he was well out of reach to jump back in, whooping with joy.

She cannon balled into the water, with a much smaller splash, coming up a few moments later on his shoulders, clutching his hair to get a good grip. Raditz smiled and stood up in the deep water, striding through it effortlessly as she kicked her feet and laughed, carrying her to the vine so that she could stand up on his shoulders and grab onto it.

"Okay, now you get over there and catch me!" She cackled, clinging to the vine and climbing up to the shore, he dove back in the water and waited at the other side as she ran foreward wildly and swung up into the air, screaming, _"Cannonball!!"_

She crashed into the water, her hair a streak of gold as it dipped beneath, not before they came back up with a gush of water, Launch was cradled in Raditz's arms, laughing and clinging to him without a care in the world, he looked down at her questioningly for a moment, then couldn't help but smile as she kicked her feet happily.

"I wanna go one more time!"

"It's getting cold now, Launch, why don't we dry off for awhile?" He said and began carrying her ashore, squeezing his eyes shut as she squealed in his ear in disapproval, "Noooo! Raditz! One more time! Again, again!" She cried out, pounding her fists on his chest where his wet bandages were sagging, causing him to grunt softly.

"Ah, don't.." He sat down suddenly in the sand, lowering his head and panting. Launch shook herself out of her elated mood and pulled her hands back quickly.

"Are you hurt?" She picked at the bandages, scratching them away quickly and eyeing the soft healing flesh of the wound, sighing when she saw that there was no blood there. She discarded them, watching as his skin there paled and the irritation calmed.

"I'm alright, just need a break now..." He sighed, lowering her down with him and leaning against the ground on his elbows. "That was fun, huh? I haven't had that much fun in a long time! Heh, that was great!" She enthused as she came off his lap and sat down on the sand next to him, looking down bashfully and smiling.

_I would have never guessed I could enjoy spending time with **him** so much... Guess my other half doesn't have bad taste in men after all... _

She giggled to herself and covered her mouth, her cheeks flushing pink as he closed his eyes and put his arms behind his head, sighing. The sun radiated down on him, lighting his pale complexion and bathing it with a rosy blue hue, as the sky started to become darker and more colorful once again. Launch shivered, hesitating to sit closer to him with a nervous smile, knowing to be respectful of her other half's relationship. She rubbed her nose and quivered more violently, her blonde hair long and soaked, water trickling down her back that was bared by the suit, but concealed her modestly with a large bow.

"Ah.. Ah, Choo!" She sneezed, causing Raditz to sit straight up and grab the blue haired girl eagerly, crushing her to himself and nuzzling her as if he hadn't seen her in ages.

"Oh! Brr!" Launch said, and took cover in his embrace happily, sighing as he pulled her on top of him and kissed her hungrily, the sun beat down on her pale skin, her indigo locks were damp, but not for long as he gradually allowed his ki to come to the surface and dried them both. She rested her head on him and smiled.

"So, did you have a nice day, Raditz?"

He laid back down and lowered his eyelids, musing with a low hum.

"I... suppose. But I missed you there."

"Don't worry, I was there too!" She said happily, smiling. She was glad her other half was now getting along with him as well. "What? You _mean...?"_ He asked, feeling almost guilty.

_Have I done anything inappropriate!?_ He didn't think so, not that he could recall, but he had almost forgotten it was the blonde Launch for awhile he realized, with dread.

"It's ok! I was awake too! I can see through!" She said reassuringly, kissing his cheek forgivingly.

"I'm... not sure I understand..."

Raditz said with unease, looking down with knitted brows. Launch put her finger to her chin, and tried to think of a way to explain how it felt to be on the inside as the other Launch was out.

"Well, it's almost like watching T.V... except, you can't see a clear picture really, or hear everything, and I feel really sleepy when I'm there, so sometimes I doze off a bit... But I wake up whenever I feel something touch her, it's weird, like a ghost is touching me!" She quivered, rubbing her arms.

"But when _you_ touch Launch, it feels _nice,_ like a warm hug..." She said, wrapping her arms around him.

"I'm happy when she's happy, whatever she feels I feel...Sometimes our thoughts get all mixed up!" Launch giggled, and shrugged. He sighed, feeling a bit relieved. He didn't really have anything to worry about, he supposed. He liked the other Launch just fine, and she was pretty too, but she was with that other man... He frowned and squeezed her tighter.

"I don't like Tien touching her... Something about him is strange." Raditz said softly, stroking his hand over her hair. Launch nodded and curled closer to him, her eyes becoming large with anxious emotions.

"I... don't like it either," She whispered, and shuddered. "I could feel...um.. _well..."_ She looked away from him and tucked her hair behind her ear nervously. Raditz suddenly tensed.

"Feel **what?"** He softly growled.

"Well, when she was.. _on_ him, it felt painful... like something pushing and pulling my insides... It didn't feel good like it did to her... He scares me!" She yelped softly, hiding her face in his hair. Raditz breathed out harshly, sitting up and digging his fingers into the sand. His eyes became alight with an intense fire as he stared out at the horizon, panting.

"Raditz...?"

"I am going to _kill_ him! I will **kill** you, Tien Shinhan...!" He growled, getting up to his feet. "NO! Raditz, you can't fight yet! You aren't fully healed!" She cried out, clinging to his arm desperately.

He was blind with rage, white sparks crawled across his skin and began to swirl around him, causing Launch to jump back from the shock.

"Go home to Master Roshi, and Krillin. You are safe there. I will deal with Tien." He growled softly, turning to gaze at her as the light around him became darkened to dazzling florescent ruby.

"Raditz! Please don't do this..! He doesn't have to die!" She cried, attempting to grasp his arm but he pulled it away for her own safety.

"...Perhaps I will not kill him, for _you._ But he **will** learn his place, Launch..."

Raditz became sublime before the violet sky, his black daggers of hair raising and lashing all around him as he contorted his face with the pain of leaving her.

"I will return to you. No matter what." He spoke softly, then was gone, as she fell to her knees and sobbed, digging her nails into the earth, screaming his name.

* * *

There was a unsettling lack of sound from above as Nappa rested fitfully, his head slumped to the side in an uncomfortable position, as his irises fluttered beneath the lids in a deep sleep.

_They were concealed in the cover of an overhanging edge of a deep, icy cold sea trench. Nappa held the two boys beneath his arms protectively, watching the dark shifting forms in the water. They were searching, with those deadly eyes that had nearly cost them their lives. Having physical strength no longer mattered here, no, as Nappa had discovered, mental power was the Gemini's strength, so powerful it could be considered magic. Nevertheless, they had finally gotten to the edge of the Labryinth; and evaded the Gemini's trickery. All three of them wore a special respirator mask that drew oxygen from the water, and converted any air, no matter how poisonous to be breathable. Saiyans could hold their breath for longer than humans, but their mission took place entirely underwater, and so the necessity arose._

_"Let's go! What are we waiting for!?" A small grating voice nagged at him, as the young Prince tugged at Nappa's tail with his, where behind their backs each tail was wrapped together in such a way that was hard to control. When Saiyans were in close proximity their tails tended to have a mind of their own, and as Nappa coiled his around the boys, he took the place of each of their deceased fathers for the time being. At least until they were past Whelping, then they would be too old for Tail Wrapping, although some more feeble minded adolescents would hold onto the childish trait._

_"We must be quiet, Prince Vegeta. We're waiting until they go back into the caves. It's not safe." He responded softly, staring out into the water with narrowed eyes, his naturally crew cut hair floated in the water, its small spikes were black with a faint hue of dark blue._

_"I'm hungry! When do we get to eat?" The older boy looked up, his hair much too long for his small, wiry stature; the boy was preadolescent for a Saiyan; they would take longer to fully mature, going through many periods of growth until well into adulthood. His long limbs told that he would be high in stature. He would grow into the hair pattern as well; as pups grew into their paws. Saiyans retained the same pattern of hair for most of their lives, save early and old age; then it would remain perfectly shaped for the rest of their long lives._

_Nappa furrowed his brows and began to grind his boots into the silty soil, squeezing the children tighter and clenching his teeth._

_Raditz and Vegeta clung in the crooks of his arms, squeezing their eyes shut as he used his brawny legs to propel them out of the trench, using his sheer strength to barrel through the water, out of the city and into the dark depths of the deep ocean. All became absymal, and cold, as he lit his eyes softly with a florescent pink ki, lighting the darkness and the tiny bubbles surrounding them with a hazy pink aura. He released them, allowing the boys to swim on their own but still carefully attached to his much longer and thicker tail._

_Vegeta swam slower than the others, quivering. His small stature was not normal for his age, and his jaw shivered violently as he became pulled by Nappa, too weakened to swim on his own. Nappa turned back and placed him beneath his chest, wrapping the appendage safely around the child and continuing to swim, behind the dark locks of Raditz, who was more hardy, and less frightened of the outer world, having had to fight alone for most of his childhood; yet also perhaps due to his naivety that sometimes got the best of his forgiving nature._

_"Look, Sea Stars!" He cheered out, pointing at the frilly tentacles that danced delicately down, their five limbed bodies spun slowly on the current, sparkling and glowing with bioluminescence. His eyes were full of glittering light as he gazed at the alien phylum, reaching with one hand as if in a trance._

_Nappa swam forward and grasped him by the ankle, tugging him back._

_"Careful, son. Those are dangerous. We can't just go grabbing strange things like that." He said sternly, causing Raditz to turn back and nod glumly._

_"Fool, you would have been electrocuted like before..." Vegeta mumbled, although weary his voice still held a condescending tone. Raditz growled back and furrowed his spikes at him, causing Nappa to tug on his tail and make him yelp for his disobedience._

_"...My apologies, Prince Vegeta you are correct, it would be foolish..." He said in a sulking tone, following as Nappa took them away from the ethereal creatures, swimming further down into the cool depths, until they saw a soft blue light at the sea floor. Nappa landed stealthily, crouching behind cover of rocks and coral. He watched for a long time, observing the small abode and the female that lived inside, hearing her soft singing voice and becoming drawn closer to the sound._

_She peered out the window at the flickering rosy illumination, suddenly cutting off her siren song and staring out with widened eyes._

_"Nappa, your eyes!" Vegeta snapped, slapping him on the shoulder. Nappa only blinked lackluster; his eyes still fully luminous as the female opened the door and swam closer to investigate the light. The little boy climbed onto his lap and slapped his cheek, gripping his hair and shaking him in an attempt to get him out of the trance. He shuddered with fear and covered his ears as she began to sing her haunting tune._

_"Do not conceal thyself..._

_Come...Come to me..._

_I am the voice that shall set you free,_

_My call brings your relief..._

_I Alone, in the darkness you seek._

_Hath long awaited for the tide to carry,_

_Tis' the man so tall, so scary_

_To death he speaks,_

_Life he does not treasure._

_To kill our people, such a morbid pleasure._

_Why it is something you seek_

_This man of the stars,_

_with bright eyes aglow,_

_there is stilll so much you do not know"_

_Her lilting voice rose and fell as she sang, the pale skinned female was floating effortlessly on the water, her soft hand curled with translucent webbed skin to her chest, where she wore a soft fabric wrapping made of the strangest violet silk._

_"What sorrow befalls you, female creature to sing in such a beautiful manner?" He muttered oddly, as if the words were not his own, getting to his feet and dragging one heavy boot after another as the small boys clung to him, attempting to hold him back and protesting._

_"I have called you to me, Man of the stars. I beg you, have mercy. Please allow me to show you my kindness."_

_He came to meet her, as the Gemini female flinched back at his proximity, blinking her large ruby eyes with concern as ribbons of blood floated around the hulking man, the two children quivered, their tiny tails were bristling at his ankles, growling deep in their bellies as threateningly as they could. The female smiled, reminded of the feral creatures that clung to the edges of society, drawn into the warmth and tempting smells._

_She reached over and touched his cheek softly, easily removing his respirator and smiling, tracing her finger down his prickling facial hair and giggling. Nappa gazed at her with surprise, his mouth fell open and he took a sharp inhale of breath, startled when he realized he could breathe in the water._

_"I see that you have two small children.I am sure that they are hungry and cold. Would you like to come in?"_

_"Uh... Y-Yes... for a short time, then we really must be going." He responded, and allowed her to take his large hand in her delicate grasp, and pulled him towards the entrance of the warm sanctuary._


	12. Dynasty of Death

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: Non Consent Lemons Warning, if you don't like this kind of thing I apologize, but it is necessary to the story for these things to happen as horrible as they are, but do not shy away, what I have written isn't too scary, but it isn't ok by any means to treat someone in such a way. (If you'd prefer the censored version, go to ff.net)
> 
> Other than that, stay tuned and please Review! I would love to hear your opinions and feedback, it really encourages me to write more and feel confident that what I'm writing is enjoyable to you all.

Regal. That was one way to describe the chambers of Lord Vulcane. The Gemini Cult's Sanctum was unlike any normal place to live, it was hand carved into the cliffside, then inlaid with stone, which was polished to smooth, even walls. Support beams were added both inside and beneath the sandstone floor, which was first covered in concrete, then laid with hardwood. It was not immodest, by any means.

At its deepest chamber was his sanctum, where the white washed walls were paneled with artistic renditions of animals in brilliant colors against striking gold backgrounds, with black frames. His bedchamber was parted by sliding shōji doors, made of nearly transparent paper and bamboo.

The most regal area was his bedchamber, where there was a wide wooden bed frame, with an ornate headboard shaped simular to a shrine at its center. Above it, a vast collection of swords and various weapons gleamed. The wide bed was draped with the finest silks and fur pelts, on each side tall vases with three foot long white calla lilies fragranced the room. Ornate oriental rugs kept the cool floor from being icy cold above the groundwater cavern below that it was craftily built above.

Lord Vulcane, or rather; Emperor Vulcane as he was once named on his home Planet Mars, stood before a floor length mirror. His long, black hair was plaited down the back of his white nagajuban undergarments, his head lowered as he brought the lovely Neptunian female named Propel to her feet by gripping the vibrant locks of her fuchsia hair, which were like light filaments in the darkened chamber with mottled sunlight flowing inward from the natural lighting of octagonal windows above, where koi fish swam in endless circles in the shimmering liquid they were trapped in.

She stood weakly, unclothed. Her youthful body was plump and shapely, her creamy skin luminous in the dim; but he had never defiled her in such a physical way. At least, not yet. For now he only used her for fellatio, to give him the stimulus needed to keep his aging body on edge, to keep him still feeling virile, although he was no longer potent.

Her hollow eyes told of a deep lack of emotion as he stroked one bone thin finger across her lip to clean away a translucent drop of liquid.

"That's my Propel, now, my robes."

The girl's doey amber eyes sparked with some dull sense of recognition, and she nodded, backing away to the closet where she turned and revealed her plush backside to him like two halves of a moon, to pull a kimono with many white Japanese Cranes in flight off the rack, folding it over her arms and displaying it at full length to him.

"The Cranes, My Lord?"

Vulcane lowered his sharp chin to his bony collar and fingered the silky material, the bright azure and green fabric with ornate reliefs at the collar, gold leaf decorated the tips of the white feathers.

"Yes." She rose his thin arm carefully and slid the sleeve over his left side, pinning it around his waist with one hand as the other slid his right arm inside.

"Second. The Phoenix." He said, his eyes flickered to a black robe, which she retrieved. It was decorated with the mythical creature, in flight on the back, then the front was designed with swirls of fire and flaming feathers.

She dressed him once again, smoothing the fabric down his gaunt sternum, pulling the folds closer to conceal his wasting form. Vulcane held his chin high, his long strands of upper lip hair now braided, the black and white strands crisscrossing in a chessboard pattern.

"Next, the Dragon." He seethed, his dark eyes flashed, the pupils dilated from the light spilling from the openings in the ceiling that allowed rays of light to spill down and cut through the cool darkness of the underground chamber. His eyes were like liquid gold, mixed in hot magma, that burned with intensity of a thousand suns.

"Yes, My Lord. You are the Dragon. Eater of all primeval beings, the Horned Beast, Serpent of Fire." Her hollow voice lamented, her amber eyes meeting with his lovingly as if under hypnosis, as she wrapped him with the clean white robe, perfectly crisp, white as the pallid flesh of a Shinigami.

The Mars Eternal Dragon, Ryokana curled around his back, it was endless in its coils of hair-thin black ink, delicately, painstakingly stroked by an artisan, scale by each symmetrical crimson scale. The long black whiskers of the dragon curled back viciously, displaying it's long needle point fangs, its elegant horns grew from the back of its narrow skull to deadly points; the eyes a vibrant golden hue such as his own.

Propel brought him his obi, as he lifted his arms and allowed her to wrap the many translucent silken layers together until they became opaque, and she tied the front with a red string.

"My Blade." He commanded, now his form seemed more regal, his withering; unseen beneath the beauty of his many layered kimono. His strength showed in the intensity of his gaze, the fear that he instilled with his third eye that followed the girl's every move as she carefully carried the katana flat in her hands, sliding the black decorative sheath into the tie on his obi and then the sword with an intonation of cold steel.

"Good, you are ever so dutiful... _Saiashi_." He whispered, the eye darted and concentrated its focus onto her, the iris turned red and she crumpled lifeless to the floor in a heap, a dazed smile spreading across her cheeks as the trail of his robe dragged across the ground and he left her there on the cold stone.

His bare feet padded across the polished smooth sandstone with bands of quartz throughout, as he stepped down into a darker cavern where light was emanating from, as he came into the alcove. A silhouette before a large black screen with orange lettering flashed with many numbers and words in foreign languages. The shadow turned to greet him, getting to his knees Grenada bowed his head before Vulcane.

"What do you read in the guttural language of the primates?" He spat, reading the language easily with narrowed eyes. Grenada relinquished his bow and turned, pointing to a number.

"The Wandering Eye has located a familiar energy reading once again. The Prince of All Filth has returned." Grenada sneered, and pulled something behind from his back; a tattered red piece of fabric. Vulcane chuckled and took the fabric, holding it away from himself as if filthy.

"Do you know what we can do with this?"He sneered. Grenada's head jerked up. _"B-Burn it?!"_ He asked excitedly, his eyes illuminated as he brought one hand forth as if to offer his assistance. Vulcane chuckled, commending his servants undying passion for incineration.

"No, we will not burn it. The monkeys will sniff out their own filth, unlike our refined senses they enjoy their own stench. We will Remind him who we are."He handed the small cloak back to him, nodding.

"Give it to Reign. He will know how to utilize it. For now, I am granting you a great reward. You shall have what you have always desired, I will allow it. But do not make it an expression of kindness. No. **Punish** her." Grenada's entire being seemed to quiver, he took a sharp intake of breath and nodded eagerly, tensing with the sudden surge of hot blood flowing through his entire body.

"Hmhm..Mhm.. Can I...burn her?" He asked excitedly. Vulcane sighed, chuckling softly.

"I don't care. Just make sure she survives. You can burn her pretty face for all I care, all we need is the vessel."

Grenada bowed enthusiastically, quivering as if ready to burst from every vein."Thank you, My Lord. This is a great honor you have given me. You are a most kind and formidable Master."

"As expected. The Saiyan sympathizer will know her fault."

* * *

She felt heavy, burdened with the agony of being unable to escape. Bulma's eyelids seemed to weigh two tons as she struggled to keep them open, blinking wearily she reached to feel the solid warmth she was cradled in, feeling her face pressed to smooth, tan skin.

"Hey there, beautiful. You're awake."

Yamcha said softly, smiling down at her with those kind brown eyes, the skin that did not pucker or repulse her, the empty slashes across his eye and cheek that she had so tenderly grazed with loving fingertips so long ago.

"Yamcha... what are you doing here?" She murmured, lifting her head and feeling her mouth was parched, her eyes felt dry and gritty and she struggled to sit up in bed. He assisted her by sitting up against the headboard, sliding his smooth skin against hers.

He laid her head against his breast and stroked her long locks.

"What else would I be doing? You had a panic attack... I've just been staying with you while you rest to make sure you're ok." He said softly, stroking her pale shoulder. Bulma looked around the room with faint panic in her eyes, looking for what, she didn't know.

"Did you need something..?" He asked, reaching for a glass of water on the bedside stand, next to it was the empty bottle of Valium. She nodded and took a sip, feeling shy for whatever reason as she realized neither of them were even dressed, she pulled one arm over her chest and looked to him in question.

"We didn't...?" She gasped, causing him to laugh and pulled her closer to him, the drink sloshing on her chest.

"Oh _did_ we, heh heh. Don't you remember? That's how I always calmed you down... I know what makes you forget, Bulma..." He said in a sultry voice, lowering his head to lap the drop of water from her pink rosy nipple. Bulma flinched back, her skin prickling.

"You like this, this is what makes you go _wild_ for me, isn't it?" He said ruggedly, taking it in his mouth and sucking. Her senses were dulled to the feelings of pleasure, her mind seemed only a vapid wasteland devoid of emotion. Bulma lowered her head and brushed her hand clumsily over his hair, that spread wildly over his shoulders.

"I don't know... w-what I like anymore." She whispered, shakily setting the glass down on the table. She placed both hands on his head and pushed him back from her, pulling the sheet up around her. Yamcha was puzzled as she pulled away from his arms, frowning.

"What do you mean? You liked it before... Are you sure you're feeling ok?"

Bulma nodded her head. "I'm ok... just t-tired."

"Don't worry, you can just rest, I'll be gentle." He said lustfully, coming closer and pushing her gently down on her back. He kissed her throat, stroking her chest with his warm calloused hands, and Bulma felt the dizziness overtaking her control as the room began to spin around her.

_No...! I don't want this..._

She felt only a dull throbbing pain in her abdomen as he made an empty gesture of love to her where it no longer could be felt, the numbness of sedation made her hands clinging to his back fall away as the only the whites of her eyes showed beneath her thick blue lashes.

"_Ahh_.. Bulma, you have no idea how I've missed you.. _Unh_..I'll show you how much I really want you...I love you _so_ much..." His unheard whisper in her ear tickled, only on the very fringe of her consciousness.

_Vegeta...Vegeta...!_

_Help Me...!_

_Make it Stop..!_

She begged, calling to him from the depths of her subconscious, not for his touch in place of her former love, or for his wrathful hand; No, all she wanted was to be free to choose what she wanted, free to say no when she could no longer speak...

* * *

There was a dim light eminiating from beneath the cellar door, before which Grenada stood guard, his burn scarred arms crossed before him as Kannon walked by, sauntering as his eyes followed her hungrily, his upper lip curling with a devious smile.

She came to a stop, lowering her chin and glaring at him, as if she knew exactly what he was going to say.

"Hmhm..." He grunted, a stuttering chuckle. His phosphorus orbs lit with images of grandeur, delirious with the smug, satisfied feeling of achievement that he held over her.

"What? Just spit it out!" She snarled, throwing her arms up with exasperation.

He curled one blackened finger, to beckon her closer, and she stepped foreward, grunting as he tugged her to him by the braid that hung to the side. Kannon gasped as he pulled her to his body, grinding up against her and breathed in her ear. She placed her hands on his chest in order to push away, but was held captive as her was hair being wrenched at the roots.

"You must regret refusing me now, Kannon.. Mhm.." He chuckled softly.

She scoffed, acting unbothered. He held his other hand up in front of her face, removing the red glove with his teeth.

"I don't think so." She snapped, digging her nails into him, forcing her knee firmly up between his legs. Grenada grunted, folding over and groaning in pain as she attempted to wrench his hand from her hair. Kannon deftly pulled a switchblade from where it was hidden the center of her cleavage, tucked snugly in the band of her bra. She clicked it open with a smooth slice of metal, and held it to her hair.

"You think I won't just cut this off?" She said smugly, raising it back. Grenada chuckled, leaning closer so that the blade was pressed to his throat, and kissed her earlobe.

"I don't think you will, Kannon. I think you _like_ the attention you've been deprived of more. Hmhm.." He breathed in her ear, and nibbled at the soft flesh. Kannon reared up her leg and kicked him across his midsection, and with a quick tear she cut away the taut hair, a shower of golden strands came away with the severed braid in his hand.

Grenada regained his composure, chucking. With one swift motion he clutched her throat and the hand holding the switchblade beneath both impossibly strong hands, nailing her to the door and causing her to drop the knife. Kannon scratched at his chest with her one free hand, pounded it with her fist, but the downside of being a Gemini Female was that while she was able to transform, her power was nowhere near on the level of the man who originated from Mars, and Martian Gemini were known to be violent and unpredictable, and oftentimes prone to mental illness.

His eyes gleamed with delirium, the phosphorus orbs moving erratically.

He released her wrist and displayed to her his powerful hand, rotating his fingers back and forth, causing his tight black skin that shone on the back of it to gleam, the veins beneath squirming over his tendons. Kannon stared at the hand with fear, her eyes widened and she could only quiver as he traced one finger down her cheek. She cringed back, gulping.

"Tell me that you regret it. Mhmm.. Say, Grenada, please make love to me!"

He said in a mocking tone, slamming her head to the door, she coughed, a scrape caused blood to smear high on her firm cheekbone.

"Mhm...Get on your knees and show me how badly you want me to forgive you, Kannon!" He flipped her around to face the door, pulling her down so that her lower back ached at the forced angle. She dug her nails into the door and cried out in pain as he pressed her there with an iron grip, forcing himself through the soft, clothed flesh of her tightly squeezed thighs and rumbling with pleased arousal.

He whispered in her ear,

"Mhmm...Say, Oh Grenada, I want you inside of me! NOW!"

His body jerked upwards viciously, and she cried out from the hard friction, tossing her head back as he chuckled with satisfaction at her healthy reaction to his firm and clear desire for her.

"Please.. Don't do this.." She pleaded.

Grenada curled his orange madder spiked head down to meet her and bit into her neck, shaking his head violently as if to snap her neck like a rabid dog would; wrenching her skull back by the roots of her hair to expose her throat further, Kannon's emerald eyes stared helplessly; awaiting her death as they stared up at the ceiling. He pulled back with a slurp, long strings of saliva with red tendrils laced in them stretched and fell on her collarbone as he touched her with his blackened flesh. He stroked his smooth finger lacking prints down her silky throat, down to the crevice of her bosom, fondling her breasts roughly like kneading dough; hefting her up onto his lap until her feet left the floor and she was now utterly trapped by his weight crushing her to the door. He grunted with another bout of spasmodic tics, his head twitched to the side, his fingers tensed rigidly and crushed her sensitive breasts, squeezing them until the flesh bulged obscenely between his coaly fingers.

Tears began to fill the watery line of her eyes, as Granada regained his senses and allowed his burnt hand to travel down the smooth wrapping on her stomach, to the cleft between her legs.

He chuckled, "Feel how warm that is? Not quite burning, these fingers could make you very happy, Kannon...Mhm...I know Propel enjoys them. But she's no challenge. Mhm. Not like _you_..." He licked the leaking bite mark on her throat tenderly, forgivingly.

Kannon responded with a husky voice,

"I'm sorry... Grenada, I... I'll say what you want, but I _can't_ do this..." She sobbed, then gasped with surprise as his hand grew hotter, moving rapidly against the crook of her thighs, absinthe green flames crept up his rippled scar tissue, licking at his skin, and burned a hole through her clothing, stopping at the thin fabric of her white underwear.

His dark fingers left charcoal streaks on her delicate reddened skin as he pulled away her panties and burned them away. He thrust two fingers forcefully inside of her, pumping his hand against her until she could hear the wet slapping of flesh and her building arousal.

_"Say it, Say it!"_ He seethed, the blackened skin of his hand became slick as his thumb found her bundle of nerves and rotated it beneath his skin that was hot as smooth stone, Kannon cried out with her helpless desire, to the point that she was burning, feeling the heat inside her growing more and more difficult to ignore. She felt herself losing her control from his stimulation, to her shame. She shook her head with defiance, tears trickling down her cheeks and gurgled the horrifying words out with choking sobs.

"..I-I want you, Grenada..! I want you inside of me!" She spoke, closing her eyes and admitting defeat. Grenada laughed into her throat and turned her around swiftly so that her legs folded to his chest, cupping her buttocks with almost the gentle touch of a lover.

He removed his erection with curls of fiery red at its base from the slit in his pants and pressed his wet, warm precum congealed tip to her entrance as she allowed her fear to overtake her and sobbed, he sucked her neck and pressed her legs open wider with his hands, rubbing his unyielding length roughly against her slick center, pleasing himself on her in preparation for his penetration.

"Now, say please fill me up with your cum, Grenada, please make me pregnant!"

"No!" Kannon moaned hoarsely with her distress as he bit her throat once more; frightened that he would sink his teeth in too deep. She shivered, as he slowed his motions and kissed her softly, lapping up the blood. He was a ticking time bomb, Grenada was always at the cusp of sheer insanity, that was what made him such a fearsome weapon, and also frightened her to her core.

"NO! Not by _you!_ I can't!" She cried, and gasped as he found her entrance at last and violently invaded her plush center, fit himself snugly to the very end of her, he threw his head back and laughed with the vengeful satisfaction of finally achieving his goal. He lowered his face to gaze into her tearful eyes, and began jerking her body vigorously up against the door, cupping her buttocks and raping her for his pleasure, not for hers as she sobbed shamefully into his chest, feeling weak as his black hands scorched her skin with his tight grip.

She wished to hear anything but the creaking against the door, the squelching moisture bubbling between their bodies, the slapping of his overripe testes against her, sticking against her soft backside. Her back and shoulders ground painfully against the door, her loosened top allowed her breasts to spill out and shake shamefully as his gyrations became more fervent, craning his head down to bite her nipples and the flesh of her breasts hungily, thrusting with such furiousity into her that she feared her center would split in half.

His manic passions were too much for her body to ignore, her walls throbbed around him with wanton desire, she felt uncontrollable shivers of pleasure with each sordid kiss of his slitted tip to her cervix deep inside until her orgasm built and her walls quivered around him, she bit her lip to stifle her moaning; the sound made Grenada roar in triumph, cackling as he violently crushed her down to the rough prickling girth of his pelvis, grinding their bones together; fitting with her until they were interlinked in such a way he could assure her womb was fully filled with his semen. Kannon moaned sufferingly; she bit her bottom lip until blood spilled from it, and he licked the trail and moaned loudly as he spasmed violently against her.

Kannon felt a burst of heat filling her, defiling the sanctuary of her. Grenada quivered and kissed down her throat as he moved her up and back down along his length achingly slow, using her to squeeze the last remaining drops from himself, sighing.

He pulled back, panting with his satisfaction, his phosphorescent irises twitched, unhinged from the sanity calling from the back of his brain warped by psychosis. Her body weakened; became like rubber, Grenada caught her and hefted her up, holding her safely in his burn scarred arms, still interconnected, he kissed her lips softly, fervently, panting with satisfaction, green eyes a now a mellow emerald hue.

"Did I make you feel _good...hmm?_ I control the flame, it does not control _me...Even_ though you have hurt me...mmhm.." He spoke softly, raising his digits bathed in flame, waving them hypnotically before her eyes and flexing his fingers. The flame reflected in her eyes, her pupils following it fearfully.

"Hmm. But not after you left me abandoned for so long, I can only burn you now... I am a flame that flickers in the night, lighting the way for the lost, but you l**eft** me. All a**lone** ...mhm.." He said softly, rubbing two fingers together and causing the flame to spark up higher, acid yellow at it's tip.

"Grenada.. I'm sorry... I didn't mean to hurt you..!" She cried, staring at the flickering flame and swallowing anxiously.

"Shhh..." He pressed the two fingers to his lips, his eyes softened as the flames bathed his flesh, he licked his fingers; flambéed his own palate with green fire. He pulled Kannon by her chin and she gasped, as he pressed his lips to hers and opened her mouth with force to share the fiery kiss.

Kannon squirmed, her muffled screams dying in his mouth as he passionately stroked his burning hot organ in her comparatively cool mouth. Kannon choked as she felt the flame crawling down towards her throat, tickling up into her sinuses and scorching the tender flesh there. She sputtered, coughing. Grenada pulled back and smiled, a small flame flickering at the corner of his mouth. Kannon covered her mouth with her hands, feeling the numbing heat there as he continued to placidly speak, the flames licking his lips as if they were harmless.

"Mmm...Since you left me to burn, I have incinerated away all my soul, my heart is a blackened stone within my chest. Hmhm. Kannon, I hope you are happy with your choice. I will not stop him from doing what he will to you now, so do not cry my name when he causes your defilement. I will not answer. Hmhm..

Call it out, _Vulcane... Vulcane."_

He looked to his hand and the flames died. He pulled out from her, righting himself and shrugging away any lingering feelings that that he had felt for her. Kannon allowed her body to fall to the floor bonelessly, her head slumped back to the door. She touched her mouth aimlessly, felt her lips no longer burning. Felt the filthy ache there throbbing between her thighs as their mingled milky fluids spilled onto the floor, down into the cracks of the rotten wood stairs of the prison.

"Grenada..." She choked out, sobbing.

"Mmhm...? Have I granted your deepest desire? Now you finally have the chance to have your own child...Mhm. Perhaps it's not how I envisioned it, nor how you would have liked, but the deed is now done. I hope you are **happy** with yourself, Kannon. It did not have to be like this." He spat, lowering his head of erratic scarlet spikes, and left the room in a furious storm of anger, the green flames crawling up his arms as he left her there, allowing the front door to slam behind him.

* * *

The beast's aura approaching on him was nothing like the serene calm that Reign always maintained; never quick to anger, nor capable of the alien emotion. The Man of Neptune approached Man of Saiya, true to their earliest origin; he was nothing but a primitive savage in the calm green-umber pools of Reign's moroseful eyes that slanted downwards as if grieving.

"You, care to explain what happened here?... There was the wreckage of a battle here not two days ago, and now it's gone along with my..." The voice of the savage was guttural to him, seething, rasping, hateful. Reign could not feel anger, but he could feel disgust; and that is what he felt for the short, ranting creature before him as he met with him, sliding both swords from their sheathes.

"Oh, ready to fight then? I thought you'd never ask!" Vegeta snarled, eager to take the new challenger. Reign did not respond, only blinked. Vegeta cracked his knuckles, then crossed his arms smugly as he was patiently awaiting the enemy's first move.

"I just love someone who doesn't complain; you can take the first swing... Before you meet your demise." He said, uncrossing his arms, spreading them wide in surrender; waiting fearlessly for the incoming blows.

Reign shot forward like a flash of light, his green and purple pommeled katanas licked across one another's blades with a icy shrill cry, and swung out forcefully to hit Vegeta squarely in the chest, not moving him an inch or even scratching his armour.

"Ha! You'd have to do better than that!"

He chuckled, and dodged out of the way of the long knives, there was no need for weapons in his point of view, they only showed cowardice. He only needed brute strength, and the power that lived within him. Vegeta burst forth with a cackle of sheer enthusiasm as he navigated around the length of the crossed swords and buried his fist in the calm man's cheek.

Reign turned his face and skidded backwards, a thin trickle of blood slid down his chin and he laid his gaze back onto his opponent; coming forth once again. He was too late to anticipate Vegeta's duck beneath the slicing blades, rolling between Reign's spread legs and onto his feet, Vegeta swiveled around and grasped the man by his wrists, pulling them out in a spread eagled fashion; Reign made a low groan and turned his face to the side, his upper lip curling back in frustration.

"Drop the shiny toys, and fight me with your fists." Vegeta seethed in his ear, squeezing his wrists harder, grinding bone against bone until Reign gasped and loosed his grip, with a soft settling in the sand the swords were unreachable.

"Are you sure that is in your best interest, Ape Filth?" He spoke at last, each word cool through the pain that reddened his wrists. Vegeta released him, standing in wait at his back.

"I am interested to see what else you can do without your instruments."

He responded with an equally cool tilt of his head.

"Let's fight fair, Rougue." Vegeta sneered, then pulled away his armour cockily; unafraid of anything the low level warrior could throw at him. Reign turned and smiled at him, with a glint of knowing in his eyes. He reached around to the back of his head of shaggy blonde locks, and untied the red bandana. He unwrapped it swiftly, tossing the fabric to the ground. Vegeta's eyes widened as he observed the unblinking eye set in the man's forehead, and stepped back two paces, glancing at his surroundings in sudden panic.

_The Sand, The Water..._

_No! I'm back at that terrifying place...!_

Another voice came behind his back, after a hard guttural choking sound, Vegeta looked back and forth frantically at the approaching man at his back.

"Hmhm... Thought I smelled filthy monkey scat... mhm.." He said in disgust.

"Grenada. So keen of you to join, would you like to assist?" Reign said smoothly, folding his hands at his sternum into an interweaving of fingers and lowering his face with malevolent intentions.

"Hmhm... So this is the new one, Eh? Mhm... Small and wiry, doesn't seem worth the effort. Hmhm." He said with a laughing tone, and pulled the red fabric out from where it was in his pocket.

"Ah, bring it here, brother."

Vegeta watched with widened, horrified eyes as the fluttering red fabric was passed to lodge in the entwined fingers the other man, and Grenada faced Vegeta as well, and as Vegeta observed him, his eye twitched, at the power that this man held within him, at 3,500, he was not frightened of the number, but it was more or less the unhinged gaze in his eyes that unnerved Vegeta.

"Do you remember now, the people you slaughtered? Shall we refresh your memories?" Reign said softly, the tiny pupil of his third eye became green. Vegeta was entranced by the eye's gaze, he felt his body lose its ability to move; staring only at the eye, then down at the fluttering fabric that slowly became aglow, as the man chanted in an unfamiliar language.

Grenada strolled towards him as Vegeta attempted to pull himself from the paralysis, sweating and straining to move even just one finger. His body quivered with tension as Grenada came to him and stood before him, removing each finger from his glove, tugging the fabric achingly slow down his smooth ebony fingers.

* * *

She was speed, desperation wracked throughout Launch's entire body; as she barreled through the desert on the S-Cargo, tears dripped from her smooth cheeks as her indigo curls lashed at her back.

_Raditz, Tien, Don't do this!_

She bit her lip and cranked the throttle harder, swinging the fishtailing bike back around as it reached the shore, splashing through the shallow surf as she jumped off, allowing it to land on its side and ran indoors frantically crying out for help.

_"Master Roshi! Krillin! Help! Raditz went after Tien and is going to **kill** him!"_

She screamed, pounding on the bedroom door, running through the house frantically.

"Calm _down_, Launch! Do you know where they are?!" Krillin said, coming out running, she fell to her knees and shook her head, sobbing uncontrollably.

Krillin placed his hand on her shoulder, and tried to sense their ki, and in the distance towards the mountain where Tien lived he felt two large powers approaching one another.

"Come on. You may just be the only thing that can stop them!" He took her hand and lifted her to her feet, looking to where Master Roshi stood, startled.

"Let's hope it's not too late!" He crowed out, and followed them out the door quickly, feeling a deep sensation of dread.


	13. Surreptitious Deception

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: Sorry for the delay, I wanted to be sure this was perfect before publishing. I also want to let you all know that I have drawn most of my now and you can see Propel, Reign, Vulcane and Candor on my deviant art: Christa-elizabeth.
> 
> (Also, If you couldn't already tell, I do not follow the new origins story that was given in DBS-Broly. I have seen it and appreciate it, but I'm old-fashioned and stubbornly prefer the old movies, even if they weren't exactly canon or written by Toriyama himself. You may see some flashbacks similar to Bardock: Father of Goku and Broly: The Legendary Super Saiyan here. I do not own the rights to them, even though I own the DVDs and have watched them an unhealthy amount of times...)

"They're becoming crazed..."

A husky female voice murmured in the still, with a soft shuffling of motion on the dusty floor.

"Yes, won't be much longer now, Tyurni..." Another responded, with the clicking of her long nails on the wall as she scratched the concrete, pitifully digging between the small gaps in the painful steel bars that shocked them and drained their ki if they tried to touch them.

A dark shadow knelt against the far wall, picking at the shaggy remnants that was his tail, removing scabs and attempting to smooth the fur. His dark eyes glinted in the dim light, towards the ceiling.

"I hear her cries up there, pitiful thing, I thought she would be stronger ..." A rasping voice said, from where a grey-haired man lay curled on the floor.

"Dormant power lies in the females. That is why he took her in such a way..."

A different male voice rumbled, from the opposite side of the cages where his form was concealed by shadows.

"It is her duty as a female.." The first male growled, from where he squatted, intent on cleaning the patchy fur on his long tail with crescents cut out along the top, it had been mutilated but it still was at full length. This gave him an advantage over the other males, and he knew it.

"Of course you would say that, Candor.." One of the female's spat, stopping her scratching from the opposite side of the room where they were separated.

"It's the truth, and you know it, you're just bitter you do not have that ability, Rachanā..." Candor gravelled, stopping his grooming to stand and snarl at the far females. They bristled back at his towering form, spitting on the floor. The tension was palpable in the room, as they hadn't been fed since the last time Kannon had come down, and the caged-in feeling they all experienced never lost its novelty.

_"**Stop**..! All of you! I've heard **enough**!"_ Nappa grunted with agitation, craning his neck to look to both sides and fuming at them all. Still, he hadn't gained complete control over them. They questioned his loyalty knowing he worked for Frieza, and were anything if not suspicious of his intentions. Nappa attempted to explain to them all why he had, and swore up and down that he was still General of the Saiyan Army to them, and some had laughed at him, while others silently accepted, knowing that there could be a glimmer of hope for their escape if they entertained him.

"Nappa feels sorry for the traitorous female, how disgusting!" A gruff voice boomed from the far end of bars, where a large shadow hulked there.

_"I DO NOT, Bdakka!" _He retorted back, straining against the steel bar around his chest and causing tiny sparks to sizzle his raw flesh. He fell back onto the hard slab, seething with pain. The flesh on his abdomen was tattered and tight with healing, and small motions like that stretched the skin taut.

The other Saiyans were offended by him, for getting such special treatment that they had never received for their initial injuries when they were drugged and captured, some were still able to fight through the sedatives, but that only made their capture and initial torture that much worse. They had all been on the slab where Nappa now lies at once point, they had even watched their own die on that dreaded bed. So they said nothing more, the heavy feeling of dread still hung after they had all heard what happened to Kannon against the door not twenty minutes ago.

He closed his eyes as the other Saiyans all seemed restless, their dilated pupils absorbed all the light from the room in the dark cages, and only the dim whites of their eyes showed from their paled skin, once tanned, now pallid from being shut away from the sun for so long.

"Ugh, I can still smell that rancid odor seeping in from upstairs, why did he have to do it there?!" The third female whined, pinching her nose and shaking her head of shaggy, unkempt hair.

"Not your preference, Zenaya?" Candor snorted, nodding to her tattered garments where he could see her sinewy, yet soft and curvy figure.

"Perhaps I would, If it were with _you_ Candor..." She purred, crawling on her hands and knees.

Candor came closer to the bars, sniffing. She turned and lifted her tail teasingly, showing the pinkish, puffy skin between her thighs caused by heat beneath the rags of clothing and peered over her shoulder, giggling at his reaction. He clicked his teeth together and salivated, visibly shaking.

"I have to get out of this cage, General! Before that one over there drives me to insanity like that wretched Grenada!" He whined, curling his thick brows up and pleading.

"Oh, now he's struck silly, not _this_ again! Shut up and go lick yourself, or whatever it is you do over there, pretty boy! And you, stop that teasing, Zenaya! That could very well drive the poor boy mad!" A dry, rasping voice came from the female side, where an elderly female hunched over with her arms wrapped around her knees. Candor eyed her viciously, as the second male who lied listlessly on the floor chuckled in a grating voice.

"Hush, Faranna, do not waste time on these young whelps, they will tire themselves needlessly. But at least we are safe from being -"

"For how long, we do not have much of any life energy left! Shall they test how long we can go on mere scraps? Curse our blood!" She cried out, lowering her head and shaking her grey-streaked mane hopelessly.

"It will be ok, Faranna, don't worry we will find a way before that happens, we can go back home to Sadala-"

**"SHUT THE HELL UP!** All of you, I've had enough of your _goddamn yammering!"_ Nappa bellowed once again, and the voices all hushed, they shuffled back to the far walls and now the only sound that he could hear was the soft choked back sound of her pitiful sobbing from above. He squeezed his eyes shut, hearing the rushing of water through the overhead pipes and the hateful sound, that if he were free, he would blast her head clean off if she so wished, only to stop that fucking noise.

_No, first, I have to kill that spastic fuck that caused the damn sound, I'll deal with her later ... When I get out, I'm killing every last one of those three-eyed **freaks**..._

* * *

A curtain of curly gold bangs concealed her tear swollen eyes as the other female soothed her, Propel's pale skin contrasted starkly with Kannon's tanned, scarred skin that was covered with forming bruises. Her head hung listlessly as the cult mother gently poured a bucket of warm water over her back, and scrubbed her gently with a plush white cloth. Frothy white suds poured down her curled body as Propel sang softly to her; her soft lilting voice like a whisper in the rolling depths of Kannon's convoluted torment, her eyes twitched beneath her lids, the right side of her face was puffed and scraped from where she had been forced into the door.

"Don't be so sad, Kannon. You'll be ok. It's always like that with Grenada. He just gets _excited!_ Reign is a more gentle lover, maybe you would be better matched with him." She said with a tilt of her head, a soft giggle. Kannon scoffed, awakening from her stupor.

"You're so fucking brainwashed, Propel. When was the last time you transformed? They've made you into their personal meatball sandwich. Ha!" Kannon said with a sharp turn of her head, flinging drops of water, she pushed her hair back from her brow and scowled at the girl before her, with a tempting body like Aphrodite; her wet maroon hair curling around the soft divots of her pleasing body in the steamy bathing chamber.

Propel pouted and furrowed her brow.

"That's not very nice. Maybe you should transform, and then you too could be pretty and loved by all of them like **I** am." Propel huffed and turned on her heel, not getting very far before Kannon grabbed her by her long strands of hair that stuck to her back and yanked her down to the ground roughly. She slipped and fell on her back and cried out as her head hit the marble floor.

"Don't fuckin' come near me again, I don't want your goddamn help and I never asked for it." Kannon said lowly, standing; her hardened body was the opposite of her cult sister, with her golden skin hard where women should be soft, her breasts high and firm on her wiry chest, her body was covered in battle scars and the large bruises forming on her chest and angular hips had already become purplish-blue. Kannon crushed one large, squishy breast under her foot and scowled as Propel cried out, craning her head back and squirming helplessly.

"I should put you out of your misery... I can't bear to see you like this any longer. You used to be so strong. What has he done to you?" She whispered; removing her foot and turning away. Propel choked back a cry as she sat up and cupped her hurt breast in both hands.

"..Lord Vulcane is preparing me for the Solstice. You will join us. If not, he is going to do something _very bad_, Kannon! You must stop this ridiculous resistance to your duties! Once you have your child, perhaps you will understand why I have done what I have. They are my only joy."

Kannon lowered her head and chuckled sadly. "I **had** a child, Propel. Long before you were old enough to spew such _trash._ But it wasn't safe here... I had to abandon them if I wanted them to survive. I have only ever loved **one** man. That is what you do not understand, Propel. You can only love once. I will **never** love again. I am too... old to have another child." She said coldly, and with that, she stormed out of the heavy steam and her form faded into the white mist proudly, as Athena riding across the battlefield, she was not a broken woman.

Propel sat and played with her long locks in a state of hurt confusion; her doey eyes brimmed with tears. As the first tear dropped she gasped; jumping up, she touched her cheeks and cried with the joy of a woman released from her captivity; the tears that changed her form spilling down her face. She marvelled at the new feeling of her skin, blinked with narrow cobalt blue eyes.

"I'm.. I'm awake!" She stood like a newborn calf on her newly sculpted calves, marvelled at her skillful hands on her firm body, and held a lock of glossy black hair in her hand.

"How... How long has it been since I have been free from that prison...?" She shuddered, and followed her saviour's steps out of the bath.

* * *

The meditative calm of the mountain top sanctuary was crushed as the first segment of rock was broken with a dull thud, causing boulders to crash down the sheer slope.

Raditz was anything but calm. No. The peace he had experienced during his healing, as Launch cared for him and softened his heart while he slowly regained back his memories, had died within him. He cackled cruelly as he pelted the mountainside with radiant light, sending large chunks of rock crumbling down as the tranquil waterfall became nothing but a slick mudslide.

He snorted out the foul scent of his most hated opponent from his nostrils hard as a figure levitated at his back. Raditz turned abruptly, grinning down at Tien. He was surrounded by his own ki, bursting from within him in his anger, his face contorted with bitter hatred at the man before him.

"So you have shown yourself at last, Tien Shinhan. Were you hiding?" He said with a teasing tone, tilting his head and crossing his arms over his bare chest. Tien lowered; his cross-legged form slowly approaching the pulsing ruby aura of Raditz with his own golden one.

"No, I have been searching for you, while you play at the perfect picture of a gentleman, I know your true intentions. You cannot be allowed to sleep in her bed any longer, I won't let you _prey_ upon Launch!" Tien snarled back, coming to a stand in his levitation. Raditz laughed back harshly, the raucous sound harsh over the sound of rushing water.

"...Perhaps you are only jealous that you can only charm _one_ of them while I have _both_ females like putty in my hands." Raditz said smoothly, grinning and tilting his chin back cockily. His eyes darkened and his power surged once again as he relived the horror of Launch's revelations, of the pain she experienced when her other half and Tien had been together. He snarled at the memory and wrenched the sordid thought from his mind.

"Face it, you are too weak and inexperienced to handle such a harlequin beauty such as Launch. Such a special woman requires a real man who can, Oh how do you say it, _multi-task? _Heh. Step down, and allow me to have her, or else I will kill you where you stand." His voice ground deeply, with every intent to kill.

Tien did not back down. He clenched his fists and observed the pink, fleshy area on his opponent's broad chest, nearly eight inches in width. Small trickles of blood seeped from it as he became more enraged, and Tien laughed back, with renewed confidence.

"She _wanted_ to be defiled, Raditz. She practically **begged** for it, what was I to do when a beautiful woman like that was sitting on my lap? Perhaps I should have sent the little blue-haired bitch home with a present for you too while I was at it." He laughed back cockily, licking his lips with the tantalizing memory flashing through his mind. Raditz was becoming more enraged, he spiked up his ki and with it his black locks nearly rose from his back, as veins started to bulge from his body.

"...I got to have her first, she's nothing but a lush, just get her drunk and you can-" Raditz growled, surging forth towards Tien, he sent his fist flying at the maddening 3 eyed man. Tien dodged away swiftly and came up behind Raditz, chuckling softly. Raditz whirled around, wrapping his tail around his waist protectively.

"I know about the weaknesses of a Saiyan, Raditz. That pretty tail of yours is the most sensitive part of your body. From what I heard, you were sent to your knees blubbering like a baby!" He laughed, tossing his head back.

Raditz's thick mane seemed to bristle with rage as he roared. He barreled towards him then wrapped his arms around his waist tightly, squeezing him into submission. Tien pushed up on his solid biceps, snickering as he escaped his grip, leaving a fleeting image of himself in Raditz's arms. He dashed through the air, leaving a shadow of himself with every quick movement, then disappeared behind his opponent's back.

Raditz felt the form in his arms give and grunted in confusion as he turned and saw the fleeting forms, then felt a sharp pain in his back as Tien kicked the base of his tail firmly. Raditz bellowed in agony, falling down to the ground. He panted heavily, turning back towards Tien furiously.

"That was a cheap shot." He growled. Tien simply shrugged and formed himself back into one body.

"You're a pretty cheap fighter from what I've heard... I wonder if that's why your strength is stunted, always using backhanded tactics to avoid being hit... don't you know that's why you'll never be better than Goku?" Tien said, lowering down the ground. He moved his hands in a confusing, yet familiar pattern as Raditz's eyes tried to follow it. Then, they both heard a shrill cry from behind them both.

"Tien!"

They both turned to see the white capsule home giving under the waterfall's pressure, as the rocks gave away and crumbled, Chiaoutzu was trapped inside.

"Chiaoutzu! Oh, how did I forget?!" Tien cried out and stopped his preparing for his next move, dashing past Raditz. He grabbed him by the red obi on his green gi pants and yanked him back viciously.

"No more distractions, Mars man. This is our battle. Your little friend in there is a victim of your own fault. Let him be crushed by the weight of the mountain!" He said coldly, and pulled the fabric harder until Tien ripped away from his grip.

_"Shut up! _You wouldn't know a thing about protecting someone you care about!" Tien shouted, and blasted off towards the house, as large cracks formed in its exterior. The shell of the small building gave, but not before a small form burst free like a bullet. Raditz looked down at his bare feet in the mud and thought about the words the Gemini had said.

_I know **nothing** about protecting the one I care about? Is that not what I am doing? Or is this the wrong way to show I care for her...?_

He heard the resounding sobs from the boy as Tien took him in his arms and soothed his friend's cries. Raditz watched the scene, blinking. He remembered Launch's words before he left her to kill Tien.

_'No! He doesn't have to die! '_

He shook his head, removing the thoughts vigorously._ It is the **only** answer. I am protecting her, fighting is the only way I know. __I a__m sorry, Launch. This is for your own good..._

_"Raditz!" _He heard the cry from the path broken by the mountain's fall, then Raditz turned sharply to see her familiar form jumping off the motorcycle, standing at the cliff's edge to beckon to him. He swallowed, glancing nervously back to Tien, then back at her and suddenly felt a strange wave of guilt pass through him.

_"Raditz! Please don't do this!"_ She cried out, falling to her knees, sobbing. He lowered his eyes and shivered with the rage that was still coursing through him. He turned, slowly showing his back to her. Raditz blinked hard as Launch screamed for him; feeling pained by hearing the sound, he clenched his fists and closed his eyes to whisper in her mind.

_Stay away. It's not safe here._

That was all he could think to say, there were no soothing words he could comprehend to stop her cries, he knew that she would one day thank him for what he was about to do. She didn't understand that this was necessary. Tien must be punished for what he did.

There was a low rumble, and with it, the remnants of the house were crushed by rock and the last of the waterfall spilled down the edge of the steep summit. Now there was only the mud that Raditz waded in, as he approached the heartwarming scene that would have warmed, say; someone with a golden heart like Goku's. Raditz only saw a pitiful display of emotion that was unfamiliar in his mind. _Males_ showing affection for one another?! It was offensive, unfathomable. He sneered with disgust, spitting on the ground.

He would never embrace Nappa in such a way, that was not in a rare bout of playful wrestling. Especially not Vegeta; only a child does such foolish things. Once they were whelped, Nappa treated them both as if they were strangers, and any attempt to receive those almost fatherly affections was met with a hard fist to the face. The only form of affection between males that Raditz was familiar with was fighting; holding back from the kill shot was a proving factor in whether or not they dared to show they held some semblance of concern for one another.

"**Enough**, either let the child fight, or save him from being destroyed." He gravelled, becoming blind with anger, Raditz formed a ball of fluorescent white ruby ki in his hand, the reflection dancing across his features and creating a motley of dancing light on the sharp planes of his face, his creased brow. Tien got to his feet, holding Chiaoutzu back with one hand.

"Go with the others. Tell them not to interfere in this fight, Chiaoutzu. I have this under control." He said sternly. He was serious, as the white-faced boy looked up and nodded subtly, flying away quickly while looking over his shoulder.

"Probably for the best. Or your little friend would be _smeared_ across the mountainside with just this **one** blast." Raditz said lowly, flexing his fingers and rolling the small ball-like dough in his hand. He concentrated and constricted his power densely into a compact sphere; remembering how the green alien had made such a skillful show of power. It still amazed him now as he remembered and wondered if he could ever be capable of learning such an interesting move.

"Fine. I see you have no sympathy, I don't think a_ pea-brained _ape like you is capable of understanding such a pure relationship." Tien said, the words only angered Raditz anew, as he floated up and whipped the ball at Tien, hitting him hard in the thigh. It pierced a hole cleanly through his leg, and with a cry, Tien lost his footing; clutching his bleeding wound. He hadn't expected such a small shot to have such an effect on him. Tien removed the torn strip of his obi and quickly fastened it around his leg, standing. Raditz awaited him patiently from above, looking down in that suspiciously smug way.

Tien felt himself suddenly bristle once again, remembering his words, glancing at the figures on the sideline, he felt a rushing urge to protect all of his good friends. Perhaps in his defeat of this brutal savage, he would try to approach Launch again and they would move at a respectable pace with their relationship.

Lately, Tien felt like Jekyll and Hyde with his emotions; he didn't know what to think anymore as he stared up at the swirling black-umber locks at Raditz's back, delved into those cold, unwavering eyes. An unspoken pact formed between the two. As their eyes connected, Tien sent his thoughts to Raditz, seeing the large warrior react by twitching in abhorrence.

_Winner gets the girl?_

He asked, grinning wryly.

_You won't get the chance._

Raditz responded after a brief spell, and Tien felt a mental shield form in the Saiyan's mind before he could speak again. Tien rose his digits once again, and firmed his stance. Tien rose one finger and formed a golden ball of light, then aimed it.

_"Dodon Ray!" _Tien shouted. Raditz observed its approach coolly; moving one forearm swiftly to block the narrow golden beam. Tien watched as a thin line of blood-streaked, deep through the dark hair on his arm. Raditz's eyes widened with the unexpected surprise.

_Damn! I should have known! He's playing tricks like those two did before, without my scouter I can't read his battle power!_

He rumbled audibly in his chest with rage. Tien stepped back a pace as Raditz lowered, chuckling.

"You're more powerful than I had expected, Shinhan. You _actually_ pierced my flesh." He said, almost as if impressed. He licked the trickling blood from his arm. Raditz pulled back with a satisfied sigh; lapping at his lips hungrily. Tien backed another pace away, suddenly; his heart was thundering in his chest as the large warrior clothed in nary but a black strip of clothing approached. Tien observed his heavily, brawned sinew moving with each lumbering step. He was panting at the scent of blood; Raditz seemed like a wild animal lusting for his blood. Tien tensed, then put his hands to his third eye, sending his ki rushing to the spot.

_"Solar Flare!"_

Suddenly, everything was blinding white to the Saiyan; he squeezed his eyes shut and couldn't feel the fleeting aura of the other warrior at all. Tien came around and sunk a hard kick with his shin into the back of his knees. Raditz grunted, falling forward, the light still flashing through his eyes. He felt another crushing pain as Tien's foot was stomped cruelly into his lower back. He arched his back and bellowed in pain, following the resulting crunch and pop of his spine.

Raditz got onto his knees, snarling and practically foaming at the mouth, in sheer disbelief of the sneak attack.

"You- little cretin! You'll **regret** that!" He shouted, and got back up into the air, his surroundings returning to the familiar, strange colors of the red and blue planets intermingled in the sky. Turning into the soft velvety violet that reminded him of her precious eyes.

Raditz turned to see Launch being held by Krillin and Master Roshi, as she sobbed inconsolably.

_Launch.. I.. I will be okay, do not be frightened._ He said into her mind as he turned and rose up to meet Tien's hard expression of determination. He knew that the female had no mental power, but he could at the very least send her comforting messages.

_I love you, Raditz._

He heard a tiny voice at the back of his mind and shuddered, it tickled the very base of his subconscious and sent shivers down his spine. He shook his head, fisted his fingers at his roots as the voice continued to tickle there, what was that word she said? Love?

_I love you. Love you. Raditz don't! Raditz don't do it. Don't die! Tien! Please don't die. I love you. Love Raditz. Raditz. Don't die. Don't kill Tien! Please don't die!_

It was an unorganized stream of consciousness that she sent him, not knowing that the feeling overwhelmed him as his chest began to heave with the reaction. He felt a swelling and bursting feeling in his chest, then clutched it with one hand. Raditz blocked off her messages, shutting off the telepathic stream that would only serve to weaken him and distract him at the moment. He blinked with surprise, still; he had never expected her to be capable of responding, the little female gave literally no aura of strength or mental ability off.

"Let's fucking go! No more distractions! It's just _you_ and _me_, Shinhan!" He roared, drowning out his feelings, powering up Raditz used his conflicting emotion and utilized it as a battering ram; as he honed in on the green clothed figure above. He came at him swiftly, and met him with a barrage of flying fists and kicks, which to his thrill the Gemini matched evenly. Raditz revelled in the feeling of his fists digging in, bouncing off the opposing flesh with hard smacks. They spun in a flurry of blows in the air, face to face. The smaller man flattened his hand and hit him with a sharp chop to his chest wound. Raditz backed away quickly. Feeling the throbbing there, he ignored it; instead making multiple ki balls in his fists and pummeling Tien with a shower of light_. "Here, have the Weekly Special!"_

Tien attempted to block them, but there were too many to keep track of. The hot balls of Ki pelted him and made his body jerk as each one hit with the impact of a point-blank bullet. Smoke rose from Tien's burnt skin as he struggled to move; one injured leg moving slower than the other. Raditz smirked as he pulled back and held his hands together to form a large ball, as Tien regained his balance in the air and jumped back in anticipation.

_"Here's a present!"_ Raditz shouted, then whipped the ball at his thigh before the other warrior could block it. The blast sent Tien dropping down screaming, the fabric of his pantleg burning away as he rocketed down and landed with a hard splash into a puddle of mud.

Raditz heard the collective screams for Tien's safety as he approached him, chuckling softly. Tien moaned and clutched his burnt leg to his torso.

"You're not a very good team player. You were supposed to _catch_ the ball!" Raditz said with a teasing voice.

_"Catch **this**!"_ He heard a cry from behind, and saw a streak of light in Tien's eyes, then the battered warrior smiled. Raditz whipped around quickly to see the incoming missile approaching on him, the oblong shape of it tearing through the air as Krillin threw the disk with all of his might in defense of his fellow fighter.

Raditz smiled, "Finally, someone who knows how to throw a frisbee!" He laughed, and caught the bright object in his hand quickly, then swung it back with twice the velocity.

"You'd better stay down, baldie. You have nothing on your fellow cue ball here. But at least you know how to play the game properly. Normally, we played it with severed limbs, but that works just as well!" Krillin anticipated the return and dodged it swiftly, thankful for the training that he and Tien had done relentlessly with their own ki attacks. The small man looked up at Raditz with a determined expression.

"Not a chance, Raditz. I'm still not happy with what you did to Goku, and I won't let you do the same to Tien!"

Raditz smiled, nodding.

"All you Earth warriors are very brave, I'll give you that. But bravery won't save you on the battlefield. All a warrior needs is his strength. If that means leaving your partners in the dust, so be it. At least you left with your neck." He said, and rose, summoning his power once again.

Krillin and Tien stood at either side below him. The larger one shouted, getting up on one leg like an injured bird and balancing on it skillfully.

"That's not how it's done on earth! We help one another, we fight _together!"_

Raditz suddenly tensed his hold on the ki balls forming in his hands, as he remembered a startling revelation.

_We fight together._

Is that not what Vegeta had said to him once, in the past? He recalled being briefly confused by his words, and retorted with the scathing remark,

_No shit, what did you **think** we were doing here, Vegeta?_

He remembered the smaller Saiyan making a scoffing sound of disapproval before leaving him, shaking his head, back when they were fighting on Planet Lupine. Could the former prince have meant more than the obvious statement he had taken it for?

_Vegeta? _He asked to the air, sending a questioning message with little hope of getting a response. He couldn't hear anything, not the familiar touch of his mind, nor his sneering voice in return.

_Was it possible, he **actually**..?_

"Hey! Ya big muscle-head! Wake up!" He heard a laugh, and resounding chuckles from below. With a bellow of rage, he erupted.

_"Double Sunday!"_

Raditz pierced the darkening sky with streaks of scalding pink light. The beams rocketed down and enlarged into growing orbs of fiery ruby light, becoming wrapped with ribbons of wet soil. They pulverized the ground beneath them with a great thunderous boom. Screams rang out all around them as the mountain collapsed, and Raditz wrenched his face to see the neighboring pathway giving way to collapse, with the three standerbys running to the top of the tilting road.

Raditz blasted through the air in a second's time, hovering above Launch as she scrambled to grip the rocks. He caught her in his arms, observing as the old man was pulled up with some struggling by the smaller white-faced fighter. Raditz pulled Launch to him in an embrace as he looked for a place to put her, before feeling with startled surprise, her nails raking across his cheek with her hoarse cry.

_"Raditz! How **could** you!"_ She screeched in his ear, he cringed back and looked down at her viciously. Raditz's eyes widened, he grit his teeth and felt blood seeping from the lacerations.

**_"Do not_** scratch me, girl!" He spat at her, in total disbelief of her actions.

"I h-hate you! I hate you, Raditz!" She cried out, tears running down her cheeks.

"W-what..?!" He asked, suddenly stopping in the air, they turned to see the mountain collapsing, into a large pile of dust that rose in great clouds and blanketed the skyline.

He faced her and looked to her with deep hurt in his eyes. Raditz clutched her to himself as he righted them, searching for any sign it was a lie.

Launch reared back and crashed her forehead with his, and to his surprise, it actually hurt! He pulled back in stunned shock, a small welt forming. Her forehead swelled and bled but she did not back down, holding herself away from his body with her sharp nails digging rivers of blood into his forearms.

"I _told_ you not to do this, and what did you do?! Krillin and Tien could very well be **dead** from that blast!" She shrieked.

"I was _only_ protecting you from him! Launch, you said that you loved me! What did you mean by that?!" He yelled back, feeling the heat of unshed tears pooling and blurring his vision.

She seemed taken aback, gasping.

"I-I never said that! I don't know how I feel anymore, Raditz! You're-you're a **_monster!"_** She cried out, flinching back from him. Launch hid her face in her blue locks and sobbed. Raditz lowered his head and softened his grip on her. Launch looked up to see his response, but only saw a mask of her former love. His eyes, cold and guarded. He lowered them both quickly to the ground as his shed tears fell and were quickly absorbed into the dry dirt where he stood, unmoving as she ran to dig for the buried fighters.

Raditz felt his chest aching as he stared down at the ground, hearing the crumbling rocks and the sobs of the small female he cared so much for, but didn't understand how to show her; how to make her no longer hate him.

"Krillin! Krillin!" She cried as she pulled the small body from the dirt, her body wracked with hoarse cries. Krillin's burnt head lolled to the side and his eyes stared, unblinking towards Raditz behind her. He glared into the deadened eyes and felt nothing within him of sympathy.

There was another crumble, and a cloud of dust as Tien stood from the rocks and brushed himself off. "Tien!" Launch cried out, then stumbled over the stones to embrace him. He held her back from him at an arm's length, glaring only at Raditz. Raditz looked on in horror as she actually, actually embraced his worst enemy! He felt that horrible pain in his chest and clutched it, hunching over._ She-she told me she was afraid of him!? I don't understand!_

"Tien! You're alright!" His blue-haired beauty said with relief. Tien walked away from her, returning his attention on

his enemy. He saw Krillin's crumpled form on the ground and growled, guttural.

"Krillin... You will regret this, Raditz."

"I do not _feel_ regret." He responded icily; raising his eyes to meet the others.

"Run far away from here, Launch." Tien said, his voice altered unnaturally; and stepped out of the dirt to approach Raditz. They met one another's gaze coldly, then began to rise back into the air together, slowly.

Launch wiped her eyes and sobbed, clutching the front of Krillin's shirt. She cradled her head to the deceased; with the sorrow equal to an older sister and cried. The dust slowly settled, and as she looked up to see the figures on the horizon fading to small dots, she sneezed softly, and changed once again. But her emotions did not change. She felt hurt for both men; but now felt her displaced affections wondering where they should attach.

Instead, she stood and walked to the crumpled S-Cargo on the ground, taking her semi automatic out of the trunk.

"Oh no... Krillin..." She heard the soft voice of Master Roshi and the cries of Chiaoutzu. With that she turned and walked to the cast shadows on the ground, as the lights above from the fighters met and created a dazzling orange light-show of clashing ki.

* * *

Blood dappled the arid soil and soaked it, between his white, now pink stained boots. Vegeta spat on the ground and laughed gruffly. The two Gemini had been tormenting him now for some time, rather unsuccessfully. He lifted his head to see the flickering green eyes of his tormentor before him, then laughed again and tilted his head back.

"Remember now... those cries, the blood shed of your victims, as they clung to your heel in despair, our people had done nothing to deserve this destruction, they had in fact taken you in as their child, _cared_ for you, treated you as _their own_-"

Vegeta shook his head shamefully as the Gemini man attempted to upset him with the memories of the purging of Planet Neptune.

"Not biting, blondie." He chuckled, and the red-headed pyromaniac burnt him again as punishment, searing the already dripping and mangled flesh of his upper body. Vegeta clenched his teeth, tilting his head back and roared with the feeling. _"Burn! Burn!" _Grenada growled, and in Vegeta's paralyzed state he had no other option but to allow the psychopath to sear his flesh like charbroiled meat, until it blackened and fell away, the stringy red muscle beneath exposed and bleeding profusely.

"Dig **deeper**, Reign. You're not having enough of an effect to break him. You must remember that the Saiyans do not feel sympathy. You must show him his own deepest pain." A rasping voice seethed from behind, as he placed his gnarled hand on the shoulder of the man attempting to harm their captor with sheer thoughts alone.

Vegeta panted as the green fires died and Reign put his fingers back into a tented pattern, the small black pupil of his eye becoming green again.

_"You are no better than your poor, dead father, Vegeta...!" Frieza mused, as his tail came cracking through the air and left a shallow indentation across his back that quickly pooled with blood. The three Saiyans hunched down on their hands and knees as Frieza lashed them once again. Each of them, screaming in turn as the crack of flesh on flesh echoed through the darkened room. Various bits of limbs lay decaying; the burnt end of a fingertip rolled across the ground and touched with Vegeta's as he stared at the ground, the pooling blood there. A long, white appendage slithered across the ground before them, smearing the blood across the floor in a snail-like trail, before curling and ticking Vegeta's cheek distastefully._

_"Such a mighty race, were you not...? How the mighty have fallen! To the level of pitiful ditch monkeys scratching the lice from their filthy mange! I can't take that **filthy** smell any longer. Don't you think it's time you had a bath?" Frieza cackled, causing their backs to tense. Vegeta glanced to Raditz at his side and their dark eyes met for a split second. In the larger Saiyan's eyes he saw the familiar glimmer of spite hidden deep within._

_Raditz nodded grimly, turning his eyes back to stare at the ground. He swallowed as he heard the dragging of a hose on the ground, squeezing his eyes shut; Vegeta prepared for the incoming torrent of painful liquid that was to come._

_"Now, don't forget to lift those **nasty** little shit-swipers so I can power-wash your hindquarters, monkey trash..." Frieza spat. With a hiss, the crank on the hose was turned to allow the acid to be released. The sharp, putrid scent of sulfur densely fogged the air as the resulting screams bellowed out around him. Vegeta squeezed his eyes shut and truly believed, '**The pain is good... the pain is good, every bit of pain will only serve to strengthen me, that is where he made his mistake...'**_

Vegeta remembered this and it only cemented his resolve, as the Gemini behind him now seared his back in order to imitate the burning of hot sulfuric acid on his back.

"Hotter, Grenada! It has to be _hotter!"_ Vulcane hissed, then placed both hands onto Reign's. In turn, his own pupil turned red as they joined in the telepathic torment. Suddenly, all was fully fleshed, Vegeta was _there_ in the room! He could _feel_ the acid burning his skin! Hear the hoarse cries of his brethren in his ears, the cackling laughter that he despised.

_No, we must dig **deeper**!_ The voice of Vulcane seethed in his mind now; curling its forked tongue in his ear.

_Why don't we explore the mind of the torturer...?_

Vegeta's eyes widened as his perception of the scene changed, now he could see his _own_ back, his _own_ curled form on the ground! The combined power of the third eyes crawled across the ground; sizzling with toxic gas; up to his three-toed feet, his pink flesh, and up; until he stared into his own worst enemy's crimson eyes.

_Frieza... What deepest darkness is it that lies in those eyes?_ Vulcane rasped, and the light became fleeting streaks of color as they entered his mind.

_"Get on your knees, **trash**.." A voice seethed, as the familiar foot crushed down the back of a royal blue cape, flocked with scarlet red._

_"Pledge fealty to my Empire or **die**." He hissed, grinding his foot into the firm back and bowing it down._

_"I secede... Lord Frieza, Planet Vegeta is yours...!" His father cringed, and was let up, to brush off his white royal armour with shame. King Vegeta turned and lowered his head as Frieza smiled, looking to Elite commander Zarbon who nodded, and they commenced the tearing of the royal crest of family Vegeta from the walls. Shredding the silken tapestries and splashing purple paint over the large mural to King Vegeta on the wall, surrounded by flames as he held the head of a Tuffle in his hand by its hair, the face with a blue scouter staring out with deadened eyes._

_"Remove any trace of the Saiyan Empire. Give the soldiers their new orders to turn over all communication devices immediately, all sectors in alliance with Vegeta will be under my order by the evening..."_

Vegeta looked on with large, hollow eyes, all he had been shown were things he knew of, although the _reality _of seeing it through his own overlord's eyes was a different experience _entirely..._

_"...Vegeta, I am giving you a very special mission, you're old enough now to go into space. I'm entrusting you with the best man of the Saiyan Army, General Nappa. He will be coming with you in order to protect you..."_

_"I don't **need** to be protected, father!"_

_"Listen, things are... difficult to explain here, but I know that you will keep your father's wishes.. Do not forget who you are, son, do not forget the Pride that is the Saiyan race..." King Vegeta knelt down, shamelessly showing his brow to his son, who in turn ignored him and appraised the tall man before him, and the older boy at his side grinning snidely._

_"Let's go, I'm ready, Nappa."_

Vegeta frowned as he considered his father's words from the past, his eyes squeezed shut as he was hit with more memories in rapid succession.

_"You can't do this! You _ _**will not **t_ _ake my throne, my wife!" He gasped, as Vasenya fell to the floor in a pool of her own blood, her throat slit by one of his own soldiers that had become a traitor. King Vegeta barreled forward, bellowing as he charged through the masses of soldiers attempting to hold him off, with each stride taking them down with brilliant blue light radiating from his powerful form._

_"Let me see him! Let me see Frieza!" He bellowed, bursting free from the restraints, he approached his own throne and stood before it, blood dripped from his temple as the familiar crimson eyes looked him over._

_"Come closer, your majesty..." The curdled voice whispered, and he stepped closer, until he stood at the base of the throne. Frieza put out the back of his pale hand and held it below his sharp bearded chin in wait for the shameful kiss of surrender._

_"Kiss the king, monkey boy... You're all just puppets in my game, next is that sweet little prince, he's going to be my personal plaything by the time I'm done breaking him in, he'll be **begging for mercy.."** He cooed, licking his black lips with a pink, slimy tongue._

_"You have taken my wife, my throne, you cannot take my son!" He said sharply, lifting his head and forming a ball of ki in his fist, he raised it to strike him and was quickly detained by Zarbon holding his arms forcefully against his own back, near to breaking. King Vegeta made a harsh, garbled cough of a choked back cry as Frieza pressed the former king's mouth to the back of his hand, digging his claws into the back of his spiky raven red hair until blood oozed out, and as the king's lips pressed, Frieza lifted one finger and sent a beam of light piercing through the eye cavity of the surrendered king, lifting his other hand and laughing with euphoria as the back of his head fell away in an empty shell, the pink splatter of his brain tricked down his arm..._

"That's **enough**!" Vegeta spat, tearing himself from the horrible visions, his eyes burned with unshed tears that would never meet the air. His entire body quivered as his ki rose to the surface, covering him in bright golden light, that clashed with the blue tendrils that acted as transparent barbed wire around his body.

"Ooh, seems we've hit a sore spot at last.."

Vulcane grinned, watching Vegeta's struggling with an amused expression.

"But that's not even the worst of it, do you think your _puny brain_ could **handle** the _magnitude_ of what you're about to see? How fitting, that the destroyer of our own planet is about to witness the destruction of his _own_ precious planet..."

Vegeta furrowed his brows and spat,

"My planet was destroyed by a meteor! I know that, what could that _possibly_ show me that I don't already know?!"

The corner of the Kimono clad figure's mouth curled up wryly as he adjusted his thin hands around the other Gemini's, and Vegeta was sunk back into the demented mind of Frieza.

_Brilliant golden light, dazzling..._

_The figure of a man attempting to hold back the great blast, his form becoming lost to the golden aura, Bardock tilted his head back and smiled as he was sacrificed for his planet, the swirling red planet in the background became alight as the golden orb sunk into it, and with a sparkling array of golden tendrils, the surface became segmented, and slowly erupted from within. In a blinding flash of blue light, the planet was decimated, reduced to dust as the blast reflected in its maker's eyes, who laughed as if on the very edge of insanity, as Frieza laid waste to Planet Vegeta once and for all..._

"NO!" Vegeta cried out, his voice ragged as he panted in frantic breaths, his eyes widened with the realization of the truth at last.

"_Now_ do you understand our plight? Can you see now why we hate your kind so much...?" Reign asked in a soft voice, lowering his hands and allowing the small red piece of fabric that was Vegeta's childhood royal cloak tangled in his fingers to flutter away.

Grenada backed away from the growing power of the compact fighter, as Vegeta began to quiver from the very depths of his soul, breathing in harsh, ragged breaths that burned deep down to his belly with each one. Vegeta squeezed his eyes shut and allowed the tears to fall as he screamed; bellowing with all his might as the ground began to quiver. The Geminis backed up further, observing how the Saiyans aura became like tendrils of smoke that surrounded him and danced as he screamed, the light burst forth from the very bottom of him and upwards into the darkening sky, in a flame of bright yellow ki.

Vegeta's eyes became white as the false form took him over, he looked at his own fist and marvelled at the power there, surrounded by golden fire. The barbed wire bonds broke, and he laughed with the feeling of freedom at last, bursting forth on the flame. Vegeta rocketed towards his scarlet haired torturer and pummeled his fist into that smug expression, knocking him down to the ground. Vegeta rose into the air and laughed with the exhilarating feeling of experiencing near evolution.

"Is it _truly?_ The Super Saiyan of legend?" He lacks the golden hair.. " Vulcane whispered to the others, observing how the flame of hair atop the demented expression of their former captor was writhing on the power, alight with red aura.

Grenada growled out in anger and made a fist with his blackened hand. He then formed a black ball like a grenade swirling with absinthe green, and grunted and threw the black object at him. Vegeta grinned as it came towards him, and as it hit and washed him in the green flames, he only spread his arms in welcome. The phosphorous fire was only a cool, licking burn, that paled in comparison to the heat coming off of his body; washing him in a ruby red cast.

"Hmm! He's not hurt!" Grenada growled and began forming more grenades in his hands, tensing as the red washed warrior lowered to the ground and began approaching on him slowly, with a tilted head and crossed arms. Grenada created and threw grenades in rapid succession, pelting him until the figure was nearly invisible in the wall of green eruptions. Grenada gasped as one leg came from the swirling fire, then another as he suddenly was coming upon him before he could even react.

Vegeta rose into the air and glared down on him with those crazed, blinded eyes, and with one crushing motion he felt the hard impact of his fist barrelling into his enemy's sternum, then another in turn, each punch burning and searing away the fabric of his gi. Grenada fell back, gasping. He crawled back on his rear and screamed as one white booted foot came down and pulverized his groin into the ground. Grenada squirmed and cringed as Vegeta's foot squashed him thoroughly to flattened, and he looked up and whimpered at the scene of Satan himself come to earth. The Saiyan laughed coldly and left him there to suffer, approaching on the blonde-haired Gemini, beckoning him with one hand.

Reign rose his hands in defense and moved into fighting stance.

"Ready, pretty boy? Or do you miss your precious swords?" He questioned, awaiting the Neptunian's response. Reign surged at him, meeting him with a barrage of swift blows, using his quick fists to punch through the swirling fire, and find solid form with his. Reign was relentless in his attacking: but Vegeta was only calmly stepping back, observing his attacker with a bored expression.

Vegeta thrust one hand forward and clutched him by his throat; squeezing as he lifted him off the ground and watched his struggle; clawing at the fist washed in flames. He tossed him to the ground unceremoniously, and disregarded him as he began to approach the cult leader. Vulcane darted his eyes and looked to the others. Grenada and Reign got to their feet, then ran and hid behind the optical illusion-like dragon pattern of the kimono.

_"Conceal! Kakus__u!" _Vulcane concealed them from him with the billowing sleeves of the kimono, and moved them into a blocking motion, and with that, they were gone.

"What?!" Vegeta snarled, looking back and forth for them. He growled, blasting the soil with fire, then darted through the air where they had stood in light speed and swore in frustration.

"**Fuck**! Where did they go?!" He hovered and looked at the footprints in the soil, waiting to see any more prints forming that would give away their place. There were none, the shore had already begun to wash over and erase where the three prints had been.

He flew to the rock wall, and searched for the camouflaged obstruction from before, but now as he looked at the wall he saw only the sandstone. Vegeta reached back and punched it with both fists, then was thrown back violently by an invisible force shield.

He panted, then sighed heavily as the fire died out, and fell to his knees, landing on his hands. He stared at his shadow on the ground and saw the tell-tale shadow of the scouter on his ear. With one motion he tore it off and blasted it into non-existence.

"Frieza... You will pay for what you did..."


	14. True Intentions

The sky had become a strange aurora of colors as Chi-Chi strung the rope from her pack around her waist to the circumference of the tower. She had made good time, scaling a good quarter of the tower and a little more, but she decided it would be better not to overwork herself all in one day. She looked at her chipped fingernails that now had no remaining nail polish and shrugged. Oh well, it's not as if there's anyone here to impress.

She reached for her canteen and drank a few small gulps of water and sighed, closing her eyes. I_ know I'm going to make it... I just need to rest... Goku made it in three days, and I don't see why I can't do the same. _Chi-Chi screwed the cap back on the water and attached it back to her belt and fished out the bread Bora had given her. She nibbled on the corner of the tasty sweet bread and stared at the strange sight of the planets that weighed heavy in the sky, at the center was the sun that was lowering down to the horizon, Chi-Chi tilted her head but didn't question it too much.

She had seen some pretty strange things in her time, besides, it was so pretty how it lit the sky up violet and orange. Her eyes softened and she sighed as she thought of her husband. _I hope Goku is doing alright... and my poor Gohan... I guess perhaps I should have more faith in him, he is after all his father's son... And Goku always seems to somehow achieve the impossible... _Chi-Chi frowned, wrapping the bread back up and putting back in her gi. She placed her pounding head against the still warm stone and rested.

_Maybe if I can get stronger, we won't have to worry anymore... Wouldn't that be the day?_

* * *

The neverending trek of grey stone became almost dizzying in Goku's eyes as he ran, panting heavily even though his ki had begun to build back up, his legs and thighs still ached with the non-stop exercise. He knew though, that no matter how tired he got or how badly his muscles hurt at the end of the day, when he woke up in the morning they somehow didn't hurt anymore and would normally grow a few centimeters by the day as long as he kept going. He could see something far in the distance, and even though he was exhausted, he kept going in determination to make it to his destination; then there he would finally rest even if it was at the steps of the Snake's open jaw.

He wasn't sure if the thing was alive or not, but maybe if he could beat it, it could give him some kind of shortcut out of this place. He was starting to lose his enthusiasm and felt uncharacteristically angry with the frustration that came with each hard thud of his feet on the cement path.

_I just want to go back home, back to my family and help everyone! I really hope that this King Kai is really strong, maybe that snake thing is King Kai and if all I have to do is fight him, I can get out of here sooner!_

Goku slowed his pace as he approached the thing cautiously, tip-toeing near the gaping mouth. It seemed to be frozen in the stone? He walked to the mouth of the snake and cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled.

"Hey, King Kai, it's Goku! I'm here to do some training! You awake?" His voice echoed in the hollow mouth for a while and he stepped back and cocked his head, his hands on his hips.

_"I know! _You're probably hungry, is that why your mouth is open?" He chuckled, winking. He knew that it probably wasn't, but he had picked up on the way Bulma had always yelled at him when he took her really seriously and screamed that she was being _Sarcastic_. He wasn't stupid, he tried to use the sarcasm but lots of people just assumed he was really that dense. Goku frowned and shrugged, walking over to the side of the path and started shoveling yellow clouds into his mouth, not even enjoying the flavor anymore after eating it so many times already today, he just stuffed it down knowing it would help to quell the hunger pains he got every few hours.

"You're a hungry boy, aren't you?" A voice cooed, and he turned quickly to see where it came from. A green-skinned woman stood at the edge of the Snake's mouth, twirling a fluffy white feather boa around her neck and fluttering her lashes at him from over her large red eyes. Goku stood and brushed the remaining fluff from his clothes and raised one eyebrow quizzically.

"...Are _you_ King Kai?" He was a bit disappointed, seeing how tiny and thin she was, he didn't think she would be much of a fight. The girl scoffed and extended one long fingered green hand towards him.

"Hehe... No, silly boy. My name is Princess Snake... pleased to meet you.."

She said in a soft voice, Goku took her white-gloved hand and pumped it up and down in the familiar handshake he usually shared with his friends. Her body jostled up and down and she gasped, a lock of orange curly hair falling over her brow. He released her hand and she rubbed it, biting her lip.

"I'm Goku! Do you know how to wake up the snake?" He said, pointing to the concrete carving. She looked at him funny and looked back at the mouth of the snake, then smirked.

"I _sure_ do... Follow me, I'll show you around. This is the entrance to my kingdom. It's just a carving, cutie.." She tittered, and pulled him by the blue obi around his waist. Goku scratched the back of his head and followed her, looking all around the cavern warily.

Princess Snake walked sort of funny like something was wrong with her back, shaking her hips back and forth in the purple snakeskin dress she wore in a weird way that for some reason his eyes kept being drawn to. Goku gulped and squeezed his eyes shut, and imagined Chi-Chi in his head, squeezing her soft, milky pillows and moving them up and down around his bad place.

_That's better. I **sure** do like it when she does that...!_ He smiled and licked his lips, remembering Chi-Chi's naughty behavior that always seemed to happen before bed. _Why am I thinking about her pat-pat right now? I'm going to get one of those annoying things only Chi-Chi knows how to get rid of. _He grumbled and adjusted the front of his pants, giving himself a little pinch there and yelping, but it made the funny feeling go away. He would rather not get rid of it that way, but he didn't feel right having one of those outside of the bed with Chi-Chi.

"Are you hungry, Goku, dear?" She said, noticing how he kept licking his lips and gulping.

"Oh, yeah! Do you have some real food? I'm tired of eating those clouds!" He said excitedly, completely forgetting his naughty visions of Chi-Chi as his belly growled loudly.

"We certainly do, my cooks will make whatever you want, we'll have a nice feast won't we, Goku?" She giggled and tugged him again, towards the growing light inside of the snake's pink belly.

"Here, let's go faster so you can rest your back, miss princess!" He said joyfully, then grinned and picked her up and ran towards the light, not noticing how she growled in disbelief and slapped at his arm around her as she was bouncing around in the excited man's arms like luggage.

_What the hell is this idiot saying is wrong with my back!? Oh well, he's such a fool... He should be easy to trick..._

She frowned, crossing her arms and huffing. Goku seemed not to notice, only ran faster towards the grassy opening where he could see the castle in the distance.

_At least he's handsome... _She mused, eyeing him closely.

_Hey, maybe this place isn't so bad! Goku thought, I'll eat real quick, but then I have to get going!_

* * *

"This place is _horrible!" _Gohan wailed, crawling into a hole with his tail tucked between his legs. Every day he got chased by the same big monster, anytime he went out to look for food, or even just to use the potty the big orange dinosaur was there licking its chops ready to eat him! Mr. Piccolo hadn't even come back in days, he just left him there all alone in this wasteland! Gohan whimpered and rubbed his eyes, curling up into a little ball and sobbing.

"I want to go back home to my mommy!" He wailed, sniffling as his stomach growled noisily and echoed in the dark cave.

"I'm hungry, and cold, and _tired!" _He blatted, taking his furry tail in his hand and sucking on it in the way his mommy always scolded him for, saying that he shouldn't put that filthy thing in his mouth, but when his tail wasn't being pulled or yanked like Uncle Raditz had done, it felt nice to pet it and lick it, as long as he didn't do it _too_ hard.

But he wasn't mad at his Uncle Raditz, once they left Kame Island he carried him in his arms normally and apologized for having to grab his tail like that, as he explained he wanted to prove a point to his daddy, but his daddy wouldn't _listen!_

Uncle Raditz said to make things fair he could hurt his tail too, and Gohan munched down on the big squirmy thing, watching as Uncle Raditz shot straight up and howled, somehow laughing at him made him forget that he was crying.

Gohan laughed, it was so funny how Uncle Raditz reacted by falling down and sucking on his tail too! He'd never met someone else with a tail, and when he asked Uncle Raditz why he sucked his tail, he said, _Don't worry about it boy, don't you **dare** tell a soul you saw that or I'll bite you back just like you did me!_ Gohan wiped a tear from his eye and smiled.

He hoped that his Uncle Raditz and his daddy were ok. He didn't like seeing them fight, but he had tried to be tough for his Uncle and behaved like a soldier or whatever that meant as Raditz tied his tail around his hands, he said that this would make him really weak and fall asleep, but once he woke up he would be ten times stronger! He asked him how he knew such a neat trick, and he told him somebody did it to him once to hurt him, but he let that person hurt him anyway because they didn't know that it was making him stronger all along. Gohan nibbled on a flea that was biting his tail and ate it, licking the brown fur and sighing. His belly rumbled again.

_I hope that Uncle Raditz will come back and be friends with my daddy! He likes food just like us, before he tied my tail up he took me to that nice farm and we ate a whole **bunch** of stuff!_

Gohan licked his lips, thinking about the farmer's fresh tomatoes and cucumbers they munched down, he'd tried to copy his Uncle Raditz by gnawing on the corn really fast like a chipmunk!

He giggled again, itching his rear.

_I can't wait to go home and be with my family... I'm going to get really strong for Mr. Piccolo so he can train me, then I can show my mommy how tough I am!_

Gohan closed his eyes and rested, thinking fondly of the future and having everyone be together as a family, and if Mr. Piccolo and Uncle Raditz behaved then maybe they could come home with them too once everything was back to normal.

* * *

The reflection in the mirror was not her, no, it couldn't be. Kannon frowned as she looked at her scuffed face, the swollen purple eyelid, her puffy lower lip where she had bitten it. She was covered in all types of marks, and she couldn't stand to look at them. She sat still as the black haired Propel dabbed her cheek with foundation carefully, methodically covering the marks with makeup. Propel was a lovely girl, transformed or not; but she was the only one who normally wore makeup. Kannon had no idea how to put the crap on, and it was nearing time for the Saiyans to be fed, and in her shameful vanity she had tried to put it on and it had turned her face bright orange. Propel caught her before she went out the door and brought her back to fix it with the correct color.

Kannon felt a warmth in her heart as her long-time friend had finally returned to her. She had practically raised Propel, and as the girl became a woman they had formed a bond with another, that was quickly broken as the need to sire offspring became more prevalent than the Gemini's training, and her good friend had returned one night with fuschia hair after being with Grenada for the first time. She could very well understand why, given Propel's trigger is crying. When in her base form, she was less aware, more docile and easy to manipulate, sure... but Propel wasn't a fool. Kannon knew that Vulcane had been slowly twisting her mind and making her into a slave.

A little girl played with the makeup next to them and swirled blush on her cheeks and giggled. Propel's children watched as she added the finishing touches, brushing on some powder to set the makeup with.

"Are we done? I'm not tryin' to look like no supermodel, I just wanna look more decent so that big oaf down there doesn't notice." Kannon complained, blinking one eye with the sticky mascara on it awkwardly.

"Wait just a minute... Let me find a brown pencil so I can fill in your birthmark. I don't think you should cover it up, it's so pretty!"

Kannon grumbled, allowing her to poke her in the area on her jawline where the small beauty mark was below the corner of her mouth.

"There.. Now, let's pinch your cheeks to give you a little blush!" She said with a soft giggle much like her transformed self, yet vastly more intelligent.

"N-No! That's good, **enough**! I don't want him to think I'm blushing for_ him!" _Kannon said and jumped up nervously away from Propel's pinching fingers. Her cheeks flushed brightly even through the makeup at the thought. She smoothed out her plain red T-shirt and green camo pants, brushing face powder off her black combat boots and grumbled to herself.

Propel stood and perfected her blonde curls with a twirling finger after they had already re-curled her naturally curly hair to a more even pattern earlier and buzzed the back of her hair into a girlish crew cut after she'd messed it up bad enough that there was no saving it after she cut it with the switchblade. Kannon preferred the shorter cut though, and admired herself in the mirror for a quick second. She also tied a bandana around her neck to hide the horrible looking hickeys and bite marks that no amount of makeup could save.

The change in her appearance did help a small bit, but Kannon couldn't help but feel an icy shiver down her spine when she heard Grenada's whimpering voice when he had returned earlier, badly injured. She felt an oddly exciting satisfaction knowing he'd been injured so badly in the groin, seeing him hobble around all bowlegged with an ice pack like that had softened the blow a little and she had to snicker spitefully at his pain.

_I should be thanking whoever did that, because he fucking deserved it!_

"Auntie Kannon looks pretty, mama!" The little girl cooed, tugging on Propel's pant leg. "Yes, she does, doesn't she, Implode? Now come on, let's get dinner ready for those hungry monkeys and your daddies!" She said in a teasing voice, tickling Implode's back and ushering the children out of the room.

* * *

With a hiss of pain, Vegeta opened his eyes. They unstuck from being encrusted together, and he stared at the strange sight of the three celestial bodies in the sky once again, now so close that only the width of the one Earth Sun was between them. He groaned and lifted one arm with a seething groan, feeling the raw, exposed flesh of his pectorals where the outer skin had fallen away thanks to the crazed Gemini that had burned him.

He grit his teeth through the pain and stood, grabbing his discarded armour off the ground and waded into the ocean, scrubbing the sand from himself and allowing the salt to burn his wounds, washing away the blackened flakes of skin. The skin fell away easily and crumbled in his hands. Vegeta stepped out of the water and pulled his armour over himself to conceal the wound and keep any more skin from falling off, and then lifted into the air with every intent on returning to the blue-haired woman's home for proper treatment of his wounds, and to address the strange nagging feeling he had that something wasn't _right_ there...

He almost wished he had dragged the foolish woman along with him, he couldn't let her out of his sight for one minute, and if she had come along then she could have witnessed him almost achieving Super Saiyan status, although it wasn't the real thing he was that much closer to achieving the goal he had never thought even possible.

_Then she could see how a **real** warrior fights...Not like that earthling **fool**... Of course, it's not as if I would want her to know all those embarrassing things that happened to me... The woman would surely pity me for that. No, she will **never** hear an inkling of any of those pathetic memories. It's none of her business._

Vegeta hardened his features, and scoffed to himself as the dome of the large white building came into his vision, and sighed with a small amount of relief, landing on the roof and scaling down it with ease to get down to the doorway.

_Thank the gods they at least know how to treat a wound on this mudball planet; not quite as efficient as a regeneration tank, but I suppose I could always demand the woman learns how to make one... She's smart enough._

* * *

Bunny Briefs twiddled the handle of a soup spoon between her hands nervously as her husband sat across the table from Yamcha with twin cups of tea on the table. Neither touched the chamomile tea she had made, in hopes of calming the tension radiating between the two.

Dr. Briefs took a sip at last from his tea, twining his mustache thoughtfully between two fingers as Yamcha hung his head in shame and looked to him with large puppy dog eyes that had always seemed to win over Bulma in the past, but that wouldn't work on her father.

He felt no pity for the boy who had let his life go off track and dragged his daughter down with him. The orange, empty bottle of Valium pills sat on the table between them, staring Yamcha in the face guiltily as Dr. Briefs folded his hands over one another on the table.

"...So, repeat the story to me once again, my boy, now, _how did_ you end up...Naked, holding a stuffed bear to your privates when my wife walked in the door?" He said evenly, not showing his anger even though it was there brimming under the surface. The kitchen light reflected on his bulky glasses and made it hard for Yamcha to read his eyes, as his darted back and forth nervously.

"W-Well, Bulma was cold, and it was uncomfortable lying in bed in my jeans, so I took them off to get more comfortable. That's all, I _swear!_ I promise, I wouldn't do that to Bulma! Even if I did, she's my girlfriend and-"

"Ah, Ah, slow your roll there, sonny. I understand that you and my daughter have an erm, well, _history_... My **issue** with your story is that you have yet to explain why the last three pills in the bottle are gone. **One** pill should have been more than enough to calm Bulma down without knocking her out... "

Yamcha nodded, wringing his fingers nervously, bouncing one leg under the table.

"...Okay...Well, Bulma had another panic attack shortly after the first one, so I gave her two more. She fell asleep watching a movie with me, and my back hurt really bad lying in that position, so I figured, why not take one? Heheh... I realize now that I shouldn't have taken Bulma's meds, but it was just **one** little pill and..."

"Those are her prescriptions, Yamcha! You can't just dole out pills as if you're a doctor! You took advantage of my daughter, and I won't have a-a-a lecher in my home! It would be different if you were married, or in your own home, but you are under my roof, and I won't allow that kind of perverted, sick behavior!"

Dr. Briefs's voice rose uncharacteristically loud for his small stature and boomed, sending Scratch scattering off his shoulder and running behind Bunny's leg as she stared with widened eyes.

He stood up from his chair and pounded a fist hard on the table, sending the tea splashing, and a spike of fear down Yamcha's spine.

"Now, **get out **of my sight. Don't come back to our house again, unless Bulma herself asks for you, you will not be going into her bedroom, or be here past dinner time." He said sternly, and Yamcha nodded earnestly, standing up and backing away. Bunny flocked to Dr. Briefs's side and rubbed his shoulders, then sat him back down at the table to calm his nerves. Yamcha left, looking over his shoulder sadly.

"Goodbye..." He said lowly, as he went out the door and didn't get an answer. He hung his head and closed the door behind him, finally allowing the sobs to escape. He put his face in his hands and sobbed uncontrollably. He felt horrible for what he did to Bulma, or, what they thought he had done to her, he didn't think it was so bad but _maybe_ in hindsight that wasn't the right thing to do...

"Oh, spare me from your childish blubbering... God, what kind of man lowers himself to such a pitiful state?"

A voice sneered before him, and Yamcha looked up quickly only to be frozen in place by the sight of the battle worn, bloodied and burnt Saiyan; who even though he lacked in stature, made up for it with his presence that demanded respect. Yamcha wiped his eyes and swallowed down his sobs, looking away.

"It's got nothing to do with you, Vegeta... Why are you even_ here? _They let **you** in the house but not me? It doesn't make sense." He said, crossing his arms and eyeing Vegeta up and down suspiciously.

"...You can blow up half of East City, nearly pulverize my house, you **did** blow up my work and now you're, what, 'The royal guest?' Give me a fucking break!" He suddenly spat, raising his voice, and forgetting his tears with his pent-up anger. Why did this alien freak get to live there if he couldn't?

Vegeta simply blinked, tilting his head and narrowing his eyes. "...And your point, _is?"_ He asked cooly, smoothing out one bloody glove over the back of his hand as if bored.

"My-my **point**!? Stay away from my girlfriend! Bulma is mine!" Yamcha growled, balling his hands into fists, his eyes growing bloodshot from all the pain and humiliation, and now to top it off this asshole was taking everything he had taken for granted. Once he walked in that door he would be treated like a king.

Vegeta's eyes widened a small amount and one eyebrow raised.

" 'Girl-friend'...? You mean _mate?"_ He shuddered audibly, his shoulders narrowed in disgust at the idea of this filthy vagrant touching the woman's body.

Yamcha grinned, slicking back his hair with one hand. "Well, heh heh, I guess mate is the better term for it, she's not _actually_ my girlfriend, Fancy's my **real**\- Oops.." Yamcha put his hand over his mouth and his eyes widened at the slip-up. Vegeta stepped forward, smelling the heavy scent of putrid perspiration, shame and fear coming off the scruffy scar-face. The thoughts rolled in around his mind, Vegeta frowned, thinking about the woman's nonsensical ramblings from before, when she surprised him by becoming aroused just from being _licked..._

He didn't even have the decency to wait until I was gone to start shoving his tongue down her throat!

"**Hn**.." Vegeta felt the tiny hairs prickling on the back of his neck, his hackles raising. Saiyans may not have been familiar with marriage, they only took mates, but when one took a mate, it was for _life. _No other women.

"So, you have betrayed her trust, then." He said lowly, coming closer. Vegeta took a shallow breath and recognized that sweet, spicy smell that the woman had made for him like before, but it wasn't quite as sweet. He could discern the slightest changes in her scent, and when he smelled the sharp coppery scent of her blood mingled with his putrid arousal, he immediately thrust his hand forward and clutched Yamcha's throat tightly to the door.

Yamcha yelped and struggled beneath his iron-hard grip, kicking his feet out and gulping as his face slowly became red and sweating. The hand wrapped around his throat was like a vice constricting and collapsing his airway until he could only gurgle in pain.

"I should fucking kill you right now, **cur**... You don't **deserve** to live.." Vegeta snarled, baring his teeth and shoving him harder into the door. Yamcha's lips slowly began to turn blue, his eyes bulging out.

"Yes, **die** now, you _pathetic_ excuse for a male... How **dare** you disrespect her honor...!" He seethed in a hateful whisper, watching with satisfaction as his eyes began to roll back into his head.

Vegeta's concentration on killing him was broken as he heard a familiar voice from behind the door and dropped him immediately; backing away and clenching his fist as she opened the door.

Yamcha fell to his knees, hacking and gasping for breath. Vegeta's control suddenly snapped as his eyes met with the azure oceans that were hers.

_"B-Bulma..."_ He rasped, in a near whisper.

"Vegeta! Oh, you're _home!"_

Before he could even protest, she threw herself onto him and wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing his cheek and crying into his ear, he stood frozen in place, his tail stiff, and pointing straight to the ground as she embraced him.

"I'm so glad you're ok! Where were you!? Why didn't you tell me you were going, Vegeta? Did the armour work okay?" She grasped at his chest and pulled at the tattered fabric of his bodysuit, gasping when she saw the exposed flesh beneath.

He made a tiny grunt of pain as the small motion moved around the wound, earning her coveted sympathy.

"_Awh, _We're getting you taken care of right away, Vegeta! Come on, let's go..."

Bulma pulled him back into the house quickly, not before Vegeta could look to Yamcha on the ground and give him a tiny smug smile. The door slammed behind them. Yamcha jumped up, pounding on the door.

"You fucking prick! Bulma! Open the door! Hey, unlock the door guys! I forgot my coat!" Yamcha whined as he jiggled the locked door handle, jumping with surprise when the home defense bots came out of the bushes and shined red warning lights on him.

"**Intruder alert. Intruder alert.**" They honed in on him and Yamcha took off running as the robots began blasting burn holes in the seat of his pants, causing him to jump with every laser shot and yelp his way out of the yard.

* * *

"There, those Saiyans will be happy today! I found that old beach dog the kids were playing with dead in front of the house! I bet they're sick of sea bird!" Propel said happily, tapping the soup spoon on the edge of the pot.

"Oh, sure. I bet they'll love **that**," Kannon grimaced, watching as Propel turned, and went about stirring the beef stew for the rest of the family, something she had more than enough ingredients for, but chose instead to give the Saiyans a slop not even fit for the dog it was made from.

"I think it died from some kind of nasty worm infestation, I don't want the children getting sick with parasites." She huffed, taking a spoon and testing the beef broth.

"Mmm! That's yummy!"

Kannon rolled her eyes.

"Sure, because that's _exactly_ what they need, fuckin' worms!" She said, exasperated. Propel shrugged slightly, only continuing to hum a happy tune, and stir the stew.

Implode looked up from where she was clinging to Propel's apron, and tilted her head curiously at her mother.

"Mommy, why can't the monkeys eat food like us? Isn't doggy bad for their bellies?" She asked, frowning. She felt sad that her dog friend had been treated this way, made into a stew to be eaten, instead of given a proper burial.

"...Well, if we fed them what _we_ ate, they'd get too strong, and try to escape." Propel responded sweetly, and patted her on her head of scarlet curls. Propel lifted the lid, and pinched her nose as she peeked in, seeing that it was coming to a roaring boil, she switched off the burner.

"All done. Don't worry, Implode! Puppy is going to a nice place." She soothed the girl, as Kannon furrowed her brow, shifting anxiously in place as she waited for Propel to say she could take the pot already. Propel nodded to her, and Kannon took the pot with the pot holders, turning around to go downstairs. Once Propel wasn't looking, Kannon took a deep breath, and golden light suddenly lit up the pot, and radiating outwards with a sparkle, before fading away. Her shoulders shook, and she sighed, it had been a long time since she had used her magic.

She stood before the door, staring at it as if it were contaminated. Holding the stew pot; Kannon quivered, the lid rattling as she re-lived the pain; staring at the floor, the black smears on the flaking grey paint where he had... had burned her...

"Kannon? Are you ok?" Propel asked, pausing her stirring to look at her curiously. She set her spoon down and walked over and opened the door, giving Kannon a small nod of encouragement.

"Thanks." She mumbled, and made her way down the stairs.

She heard the low murmurs of excitement as she came to the end of the stairs, meeting eyes with all of the shadows that shifted in the cages. She wore her cannon blaster today, strapped across her chest, and protruding from her shoulder was the wide barrel that was incredibly deadly, there was a pulley that hung over her shoulder that she pulled in order to release the cannonballs, and with a click of a switch the fuses were lit by a spark at the base of the barrel. It was a powerful weapon, and right now she needed that small security it provided her.

She set the pot down and took a hose from off the floor and turned it on, walking around the room to fill the deep basins in their cages for drinking and bathing. The Saiyans either cupped the fresh water and drank eagerly or began using it to wash their faces and hands. She came to the man on the table and glared at him, seeing how he stared at the ceiling as if she weren't even there. Kannon lifted the hose and sprayed a small amount of water at him.

"Hey, you, thirsty or what?" She said, watching as he rolled his eyes to her in a way that seemed to say he obviously was. Kannon felt her breath hitch in her chest and walked to the side of the table, switching off the Ki draining device and began unstrapping him from the bench. She pulled the chest bar back with a loud squeak, seeing how he took a deep inhale when it was released and regained his breath. Vulcane made no effort to make more suitable room for him in the cages, there was bound to be a vacancy any time soon. Kannon watched as he sat up with less strain this time, observing how his stomach wound had already begun healing, besides some areas that were deeper than others.

"You're healing, that's good..." She said with a small smile. Nappa grunted, looking away from her again and staring at the ground. Kannon's features went limp and her eyes widened as she realized he must have heard... _everything._

Nappa turned back and moved his hand, then sighed in annoyance when he remembered that he was cuffed to the table. His tail snaked out from behind his back and he took the hose and put it to his mouth to Kannon's surprise, downing the water eagerly to take numerous gulps, then pulled the nozzle out with a relieved sigh, staring down as the water washed over his body. He aimed the nozzle at his stomach wound and allowed it to wash away the dried blood.

Kannon felt her cheeks growing hot and turned away quickly, narrowing her shoulders and gulping. She heard a gruff chuckle from behind her and yelped when she felt a cool jet of water slash across her back. She whipped around quickly and snatched the hose.

"Hey! Watch it, you!"

She pulled on the hose but his tail had a firm grip on it, and after a moment of her struggling to pull it away, Nappa let go and she fell onto her rear. The hose flew out of her hands and let the water spray around the room wildly, completely drenching her and the protesting Saiyans who complained and shook off the water all over, _"Stop! Stop it!"_ Kannon yelled, feeling surprised when the water stopped and Nappa sat looking at her smugly, his tail wrapped around the hose snugly.

"Oh, uh... thanks! Heheh!" She said, sheepishly and walked over to turn off the water spout for real.

Kannon took a moment to get herself back together, squeezing some water out of her shirt. She picked up the stew pot and heard the ridiculous thumping of tails and panting as she brought over the stew and spooned it out, she had to shake her head and smile. The Saiyans were funny sometimes, even if they weren't trying.

She finished filling the bowls and turned to Nappa, then narrowed her eyes and put her hands on her hips.

"Wait just a minute... _Nappa_, if you could use your tail this **whole** time... why did you let me feed you with a fucking spoon?!" Kannon suddenly accused, glaring at him with her mascara running down her cheeks. He stiffened in his spot, opening his mouth and closing it wordlessly.

"I- I uhhh... well, _**you** insisted!"_ He said back just as accusingly, his eyes widening as she took the spoon and smacked him on the nose with it. He flinched back, scrunching up his face and tried to rub his nose with his shoulder, giving up and using his tail to rub it. A dazed look came over him and his eyes watered, then he sneezed enormously and a bright ray of golden light blasted out his mouth and made a clean hole in the floor. Kannon froze in place, staring at him, then the hole with widened eyes, as he turned to her looked with an expression as if he were just as surprised at what he did as her.

"Uh.. oops..?" He muttered, and grinned. Kannon couldn't hold it back anymore, she giggled and started to laugh so hard her stomach began to hurt, and it made it even harder to stop laughing when Nappa and the other saiyans all joined in until there was so much laughing in the room that Kannon suddenly stiffened and put one finger to her mouth for them all to be quiet.

They ceased their laughter, looking to the ceiling in anticipation of being caught by Vulcane, and after a moment later Kannon sighed and turned back to Nappa, shaking her head.

"You goof! Control your power, you could have blasted my head off!" She scolded, going to whack him with the spoon again, but thinking she better not.

His eyes widened and he frowned.

"...Sorry..." He grunted and lowered his eyes. "Here. You know how to use a spoon, right?" She teased, watching as he lifted the lid easily and wrapped his tail around the spoon.

"Course I do, idiot." He murmured, and began scooping up the stew into his mouth. He looked to her with a puzzled expression as he chewed, finding that for once, the food actually tasted _good..._

"Did you... make this?" He asked, between eager bites of food. Kannon nodded shyly, sitting on the stool beside the bench and watching as he ate. "It's good." He said quickly, and filled his mouth with more of the hearty beef stew, that didn't taste like dog _at all_. Kannon smirked, proud that after all this time, her Alteration magic still worked. She simply needed a subject with equal value to the subject the magic was performed on, in order to alter successfully. Seeing as there was just as much _Beef_ stew as there was _Dog_ stew, she'd simply transformed it into a copy of Propel's Beef stew instead.

"Well, don't expect it all the time, I'm really not the _cooking_ type'a gal... " She said with a small shrug and tilted her head back. Nappa looked at her curiously, and licked his lips.

"What's that on your face? The black stuff?" He said, pointing to his eye with his tail.

_"Oh! Oh no, the water must have melted it!" _She said, embarrassed, covering her face.

"Why would _you_ need to wear such a thing? You're not..." He started, then stopped himself, taking another bite.

Kannon's heart fluttered and she pulled her hands away, blinking.

"Not... what?" She asked, nervously.

Nappa gulped and looked at her from his peripheral with one dark brown eye.

"Well, you're certainly not _deformed..."_

Kannon's shoulders slumped and she felt embarrassed for hoping he was going to compliment her.

"Oh, yeah... no, I'm not deformed or nothin'..." She said quickly, with a chuckle. Nappa set the empty pot to the side and looked at her closely, furrowing his brows. Kannon's spine stiffened as his eyes travelled over her, then his tail lifted hesitantly and hovered before her face. She watched it, swallowing nervously. Then gasped when she felt the soft fur touch her cheek, then wipe across her face and scrub it quickly. She was startled, so she just closed her eyes and allowed it until it stopped and rested on her chin. Kannon opened her eyes to see his expression had hardened, as the tip of the tail paused and he concentrated and wiped the makeup away from her beauty mark and swallowed as if in pain.

Kannon reached and touched his tail gently, moving her fingertips over the fur and petting carefully. Their eyes met and she held the soft fur to her face and suddenly felt her emotions welling up inside of her as his eyes penetrated her, but could not possibly see deep enough into her to know what she was truly thinking.

"Nappa... how I've..." She choked back on her words, instead wiping her tears with the soft fur. Nappa swallowed, and pulled her to him by wrapping his tail around the bar of the stool.

"How do you know my name, please, tell me... what is your name?" He urged softly, not minding when she took his tail again and cradled it gently. She shook her head vigorously, hiding her face from him. He felt the air trapped in his lungs escape.

"Please look at me... you are... _beautiful_.."

He said softly, and she raised her tear-stained face so that he could look at her, even with the scars his eyes softened on her and his hand jerked against the restraints.

"Let me free... please, just take off one shackle... I _promise, _I **won't** hurt you." He said softly, clenching one fist. Kannon shook her head and refused.

"Pin... I mean, come on, you... please."

Kannon gasped, her hand flying to her mouth as his words slipped. Nappa growled and strained against the restraints, flexing his forearms until the shackles broke and he looked at his own hands with surprise.

Kannon flew out of her chair, backing away until her back hit the prison bars and a female Saiyan hissed inside. Nappa got to his feet quickly and snarled at the girl. "Hey, don't you dare touch her!" Kannon scrambled away from the bars, blinded by her tears and was caught by him, falling into his chest and sobbing.

Nappa sighed and looked down at her, brushing one heavy hand over her hair, he smiled.

"I like what you've done with your hair."

Kannon looked up, and suddenly chuckled through her tears.

"What happened to yours? It used to be so _luxurious!" _She blurted out, then her eyes widened and she covered her mouth as if she had exposed a horrible secret.

Nappa's back stiffened and he hesitated to answer, instead, he chuckled again, playfully entertaining her charades.

"Oh, how would **you** know that?"

"Uhh... I dunno, stop askin' me so many _stupid_ questions!" She spat, pulling away and crossing her arms over her chest. Nappa smiled, and knelt down on one knee so that he was more at her level. He lifted one finger and poked her chin where the beauty mark was, and grinned.

"I once knew a girl with a mark like this, but she was far prettier than you, and much less trouble!" He teased, and she slapped his hand away.

"Oh really, is that what you prefer? Dumb bimbos with big tits?!" She accused, stomping her combat boot stubbornly.

"No, I like you just fine. No matter what you look like, you're still my Pinchie."

He said, and with a gentle pinch on her cheek, he watched as Kannon's hair changed to soft, dark blue curls.

Her large crimson eyes opened up to look at him as if she had been locked away in a cage all those years, trapped...

_"Nappa!" _She cried out, and crushed herself to him, pelting his face with kisses, sobbing tears of joy. He embraced her and fell to both knees, clutching her to his body closely.

"Kannon, all these years I thought you were dead... what happened?" He whispered.

She wrapped her arms around his thick neck and sighed where her now much more fuller cheek rested on his chest.

"We survived... a few of us... the Mars Gemini, Emperor Vulcane came and found us. They said if we didn't come with them, they would take us by force..." She whispered, and he gripped her tighter, arching his neck down to nuzzle his nose in her hair.

"I never got the chance to thank you, for trying to protect us... While you fought the trio, I managed to slip away and hide..."

Nappa stroked one hand over her hair and kissed the top of her head.

"Since that day, I've only been loyal to you Kannon, even though I thought you were dead, I... I've _hated_ Frieza since that day that he ordered the purge, I only stayed to protect the boys."

"The- the boys, are they...?" She looked up to him with a shimmer of tears in her eyes, and he smiled softly.

"Yeah. They're alive. They should be."

Kannon lowered her eyes and curled her fingers around his head.

"I waited for you for a very long time, but then, that... Grenada..." Her voice quivered.

Nappa's eyes darkened, and he put one finger over her plump red lips to shush her.

"I know. It wasn't your fault... I'll take care of him." He said with a soft growl, lifting her up onto his lap and sniffing her neck, his eyes darkened over her shoulder.

"He's going to pay for what he did... I have a plan. But you'll have to help me."

* * *

He did not care anymore. Whether or he survived, whether he won, Raditz no longer cared. It was always his safety net; not caring. To go through life, apathetically watching it crumble all down around him. His life was always in the control of others. But when did _he_ get to choose? When did Raditz get to live his _own_ life?

He supposed it was too late now for all that, as he glared into the eyes of his opponent, he smiled as if to say, thank you. I'm ready to go. I've got nothing to live for, no future, no family, nothing... I was _supposed_ to die.

Tien met the eyes of his opponent, delved into them and was able to look deeply into him, in some way he knew there was always something _different_ about him. He never knew why, or how but he knew that he wasn't human. He would have to be a fool to think otherwise.

He had no memory of his origins, nor did he care to find out. Master Shen had been his caretaker, as well as his mentor Mercenary Tao when he later joined the Crane School for Martial Arts. Tien hadn't desired to find out where he came from, because with the discovery of the power from his third eye, he realized that it was capable of only bewitching, and harming others. That was enough to make him more than hesitant to know what kind of people use their powers for such a thing. Tien had since abandoned the use of the eye; in the past he had even used it to con others for his own benefit and he wasn't proud of that fact.

But now, as he felt the pull of every liter of blood in his body towards the tide, in direct influence to the planet's strange appearance once every year; he was barely hanging onto control of his power. Ever since that night with Launch, his power felt so full within him it was brimming nearly to bursting.

The temptation that whispered to him to go back to her had sunk its claws into his mind unrelentingly, from some deep, primal part awoken somewhere in his memory he knew that being with her gave him an incredible amount of power, and that is why he had to stay away for his and her sake. No matter how much he cared for her; he couldn't bear to see Launch in that way, to use her for his relief and suck her energy from her like a viper. It felt _wrong_.

He wished there was some way to stop it, but he had known all along deep down that they were the same. He had never been so drawn to a woman in his life, for all those years he avoided her, he hated that he was lusting for something he should not have, no, would not allow himself to have, but _kami, _he did want her all to himself._ We can find a way. We can get through this. I promise, I would never hurt her..._

Tien looked to Launch from above where she was barely a speck far below on the ground, and felt his stomach turning. Raditz saw this and growled at him, released from their standoff, he surged at Tien, feeling that hot surge of rage rushing through his veins and awakening his primal blood he roared with his anger, hitting Tien with a furious blow to the jaw, the other man flew backward a few yards, stopping himself in the air to right himself and spit blood from his mouth.

"She's never going to be yours. You're an animal, a beast. You have no empathy, no inkling of love in you, Launch needs someone who _truly_ cares for her. I care about her, I've known her for years and I've always wanted to tell her that." He said, his voice was bordering on the guttural tone it took on before as he looked down and smiled.

"That's what I always wanted to say. Just that, I would do _anything_ for you, Launch. I would try to be the man you wanted, if you would have me." He allowed his words to be heard in Launch's mind as he spoke, he wanted to say what he needed to before the end of this battle because he couldn't be sure of the outcome; he only knew that he would fight for her if he could.

Launch stared up and stifled a cry, her hands to her mouth as she heard the words and sobbed.

" ...Raditz, you and I are two very different people. That is where I fail to see how you could be right for her. Could you even touch her without tearing her **apart**?" Tien whispered, pulling back from her thoughts before she could hear. He watched as the Saiyan's eyes grew large and for that split second, fearful.

"I _could!_ I won't do that to her, I couldn't hurt her!" He suddenly spat, squeezing his eyes shut of all the memories, _how many_ women had he desecrated in such a way... He'd lost count. It was a sordid blur of intoxication, there was no nice way to say it, Raditz hadn't loved those women, he hadn't _cared_ to give them the tenderness he had given Launch. No, for after all, he may as well have **raped** them if they weren't so willing.

"I wouldn't! I **_didn't_** _hurt her!" _He cried out, clenching his fists and allowing his aura to burst free, the heat whipping around him and lifting his wild mane from his back, he screamed, tossing his head back, the ruby light encased him, electricity seemed to be drawn to him as his true power emerged; the tendrils of lightning wrapped around him and clashed, as the sky darkened and with a crackling of atmosphere, rain began to fall.

Tien's bones felt cold and brittle in his body as he watched the transformation, seeing the sheer muscle that this man now beared, Raditz lowered his face and glared at him with his obsidian eyes lit with electric light; and in them, he saw that absolute power, the capability of destruction so evident in that glare that Tien tensed, as his eye sensed the whirling aura inside that was as black and foreboding as the storm clouds above.

Tien squeezed his fists into balls until his knuckles turned white and pushed his ki violently to the surface; allowing the golden light to overtake him. He closed his eyes and summoned his true power from within. He would need it for this fight; Tien knew that one of them, if not both would barely survive.

Raditz watched as Tien's stature began to increase in height with widened eyes, the golden light around him pulsed wildly, unstable; as two more arms burst from his back with a grunt, and Tien's body grew in bulk until he was as large as Raditz was, his slick muscles vascular with veins full of the molten golden energy. Tien opened his eyes and laughed in a darkened voice, distorted and demonic.

"You see, I also have a secret, Raditz. I'm no better than you, every night since the planets arrived, I have been nothing but a **savage**, I feel that strange pull from the red planet down to my very being; I know I am something... Something _unnatural_." His guttural voice curled up with a pitiful sob, he pulled his four arms together and covered his face, concealed the cries.

Raditz drew forward, hovering towards him with deadened eyes that felt no sympathy. "Use your power then, to **fight**."

He said darkly, and locked eyes with Tien again. Tien shook his head, blinking away the tears and focused on his opponent.

An empty void appeared where he had been, and Raditz looked sharply side to side, growling when Tien came from below and met directly before him in an instant, he felt nothing but those four powerful arms hitting his body, they swung like windmills and hit him solidly with each blow. He gasped for his breath as he tensed his arms and attempted to grasp for them, but the intensity and speed of them were unbelievable.

Raditz managed to jump back and gathered his ki into his hands quickly and hit him back with a barrage of small yet deadly ki blasts. Tien took the shots with little show of difficulty, watching as they flew and became absorbed into his skin. Raditz looked on, his brows tensing as the gargantuan form of Tien chuckled, bringing the four arms around himself. Glowing balls of golden ki sparkled in his fists as Raditz retreated backward, holding his forearms before him. He grit his teeth as Tien threw each earth shaking cannon blast at a time, dodging each just nearly and panting with the feeling of the heat phasing past his body.

"It seems I've got a rat in a trap," The deep voice echoed, as Tien split into four and grinned as they surrounded Raditz. He tensed, looking around quickly as the forms approached him, he used his tail to hit the one behind him as he darted around and kneed one in the back, they were temporarily distracted as he came closer to the remaining two and hit each with a separate ki blast from both hands.

Tien's forms floated together, making a wall and all laughed in harmony. Raditz darted away and flew far off to the side before they could react, he flew on his side and screamed as he threw a ki ball into their lined up forms, hitting each in turn and flying behind to send his fists barreling into the backs of the center forms, watching as they disappeared in his hands, he righted himself and kicked out at both remaining, gasping as they both dissipated and he searched the dark sky for Tien.

"You're quick, I'll admit.." The voice said, and Raditz met eyes with Tien above him and snarled. Blood trickled from the side of Tien's face as Raditz looked on. He brought his two glowing hands together and pointed his index fingers, grunting as the power began to make an orange glow around him with the sheer energy.

"But you aren't too bright."

He finished, and with that he brought his hands to his center and glared down at Raditz from between a diamond-shaped opening in his hands and screamed out,

_"Tri Beam...Haaa!"_

Raditz stared up at the glowing light above him and felt his hairs standing on end from the sheer electricity, not comprehending the darkness that covered the sky and fell over him, rocketing him down to the ground so quickly he was lost in the darkness, feeling the dark energy racing beneath his flesh like snakes and tearing at his skin, until all was darkness and his form was lost as the ground was opened up below him and he fell.

Launch fell backward from the impact of the blast and cried out, feeling her cranium hit the ground roughly, she sat up and shook her head of blonde hair, growling. "Tien! That's **not** fair!' She snarled, getting to her feet and running towards the dark opening.

"Raditz! Are you ok?! _Raditz!" _She got to the edge and stared down, her breath hitching as her other half inside screamed in her thoughts, screaming for Raditz. Launch shook her head, watching as the freakish form that once was Tien lowered down to appreciate his work, his arms crossed and grinning. Launch aimed her gun and pelted him with bullets, knowing they wouldn't be enough to harm him but she just felt so, _so **angry**!_

Tien looked to her with an expression of hurt as the bullets bounced off his chest and frowned.

"You better not have killed him, or you can forget about ever seeing me **_again! _**In fact, I **don't** wanna see ya! EVER!" She screamed, her entire body shaking with rage.

"Come on Launch, it's not safe here..." Master Roshi pulled her back by her shoulders and Chiaotzu clung desperately to her leg.

"Tien's not himself anymore!" He cried out, and clutched to her thigh. She reached down and rubbed his head gently, before returning her eyes on the battle.

Tien narrowed his eyes at her and smiled as if he didn't believe her. He turned his attention back onto the ground and watched the darkness for signs of life.

There was nothing, only the susurration of the heavy summer rain crashing through the foliage of the forest; creating a dense hush in the tension. Then, light. There was a white light that formed into a small ball, crackling with electricity, then increased in size and with a hoarse bellow, Raditz reared his arm back and threw the Ki ball with all the strength he could summon; the dark cavern lit with brilliant ruby light as it was illuminated with hissing energy, until at last he let it rocket through the air.

_"BEGONE!"_

The massive gathering of energy rocketed up towards Tien's cocky smile that still had not budged, Raditz surged forth and followed the blast, watching as Tien tensed at the last minute and went to dodge; not before being hit dead center and knocked back. He followed his descent in rage, gripping him by the neck Raditz sunk his fist into Tien's face as hard as he could, releasing him and allowing himself to be taken by the wind he savagely beat his body back and forth until it was convulsing with every blow, Tien spit out blood and saliva as Raditz kneed him hard in the stomach and his chest, he pounded with the hardest of blows he could summon, blinded by his animosity, his eyes were glazed over with his sheer intent to kill as they crashed down to the ground and he landed atop him, getting to his knees and panting as the rain washed away the oozing blood from his torn flesh, droplets flew on the air as he continued to beat him, knocking his head sideways until Tien's eyes rolled back in his skull and he was silent.

Raditz panted, attempting to regain his vision, he rested on his hands, watching Tien for signs of life on his face, swollen with welts and leaking blood from his eyes and nose in rivers.

"There, it's **done**, Shinhan..." He sighed, with a shudder, and got to his feet shakedly, turning to look towards the tiny figures in the distance and questioning now where he should go.

"No... it's not." A hoarse whisper behind him followed with a sharp stabbing sensation through his center, as Tien lifted his finger to shoot the dodon ray through the soft flesh of Raditz's chest wound. The Saiyan gasped, falling to his knees and clutching his chest where a clean hole had reformed, not nearly as large as the first but disabling him with the intense feeling of blood surging forth in a dark trickle.

"You...rotten piece of _fucking **shit**_..." Raditz growled, turning his face to eye the broken man on the ground who only laughed at his pain, slowly moving to sit up, Tien grinned and looked to Launch, and held one hand out and hissed with pleasure as golden tendrils of light danced on the air. Raditz looked to her in agonized terror as she fell to her knees and clutched her chest as he drew power from her.

_"No! Launch!"_

"Ahh.. kami... oh, she feels **good**..." Tien moaned as if in arousal, making a fist and clutching the golden tendrils, he looked down at himself and sunk the masses into his center. It absorbed into him and the golden light spread. Raditz observed in horror as his wounds became healed, the swelling dissipated and Tien seemed wholly unharmed.

_"Launch!"_ He heard the collective cry for her safety as she fell to the ground as if boneless, and Master Roshi and Chiaotzu hovered over her worriedly.

"How **could** you...! How could you claim to care for her if you could do such a cruel thing! You will **regret** the day you harmed her, Tien Shinhan, I **swear** it. You will be damned to hell for **all eternity."**

Raditz spat venomously with seething spite, and stood before him, looking to the sky. He rose one hand and grinned as a white circle of ki formed there, and rose slowly into the air, up until it filled the empty gap between the planets and illuminated the earth with artificial moonlight.

Raditz locked his eyes onto the light, allowing them to be enchanted by the moon's glow; his irises alighting crimson red.


	15. A Saiyan's Heart, and a Lion's Pride

_What the hell am I doing?_

Vegeta snarled as he had allowed the blue-haired woman to drag him inside with no resistance, if not for his own selfish satisfaction of watching the scar-faced weakling's mortified expression of jealousy, than also for his own curious inclinations. Her small hand clutched his by just three of his fingers, he felt the warmth through his glove and sucked air through his teeth in a hiss, pulling his hand away.

"Don't drag me around like a damned mongrel, woman, I may be slightly singed, but my legs still work!" Vegeta snapped, hardening his features. He tore his gaze from hers coldly, biting his cheek in determination to disregard her blatant affections before they became too much for him to resist.

Bulma's hand hung in mid air, her expression slack with her startled confusion.

"Vegeta..? I'm taking you to the medical wing, we have medicine that can help you heal faster... can't you be a little more greatful?" She asked, pouting.

Vegeta snorted in disbelief.

"I can heal fine on my own, and infections normally go away within a few hours.." He mumbled, catching his mistake as she tugged on his hand again with renewed determination.

"_Bullcrap_! Yeah, ok, let's just let your wounds fester! I mean really, what kind of backwards logic is that?! Now, come. ON!!" Bulma growled, pulling harder on his fingers until she was red in the face, using the rug for leverage, her bare feet skidding on the plush surface.

Vegeta felt a smile trying to creep its way onto his features and turned briskly, towards the medical wing with a surprised gasp from Bulma who followed behind, giggling to herself softly. She raced past him, looking over her shoulder and narrowing her eyes suspiciously.

_What is she doing? Why is everything a race with this woman? _Vegeta thought, tugging at the uncomfortable feeling of the armour rubbing at his raw skin.

"You really are in pain, aren't you? Why don't you let me help you?" She said, coming closer and placing his arm over her shoulder. He hissed with the movement, feeling the warmth of blood oozing through the fabric of his bodysuit and making it's way down his body.

"I'm fine, some little gemini freak isn't going to best me, I crushed his balls fucking flat to the ground for that.."

Bulma's eyes widened and she looked astounded by his words.

"What? What on Earth are you talking about!?" She asked incredulously, wondering which was more off, what he _called_ the person, or what he apparently _did_ to them...Vegeta sighed, eyeing the woman from his peripheral as they went through the door and she assisted him into the darkened room, switching on the florescent lights.

Bulma didn't want to call in the family doctor right now, even though they'd be there in just minutes, she was afraid of how Vegeta would react to strangers poking and prodding him with needles. She knew how frightened Goku was of them, and she wasn't sure if it was just a Saiyan thing or Goku's own oddity, he was vastly different than Vegeta even if they were the same kind.

Bulma turned around and crossed her arms, lowering her head.

"Can you get undressed, Vegeta? There's a shower here specifically for this type of thing.. " She said, with a quiver, peeking over her shoulder. He'd already taken off the armour and was picking at the blue fabric that was melted to his flesh and grumbling.

"Oh my.. _my.. kami_, what the hell happened to you?!" Bulma nearly screamed, feeling her gorge rise as she covered her mouth with both hands and her eyes explored his exposed flesh that was not only bare, but the entire layer of epidermis was burned away, leaving only his reddened muscle that was blackened and raw, with blood trickling in the areas that weren't cooked until dry and cracked.

"I got burnt, isn't it obvious? Are you sure you're capable of treating my wounds..?" Vegeta responded, peeling away a strip of skin along with the bloodied fabric and looking at her questioningly.

Bulma came forward and breathed in short gasps, her eyes widening at the streams of trickling blood. Vegeta stared at her, puzzled; the fabric still held loosely in his hand. Bulma fell forward and sunk into the nook of his elbow weakly, he looked down and held his hands out awkwardly, not knowing what to do next.

"Wake up, woman!" He said, going to shove her away, then observing how her eyes were half lidded, the pupils slowly floating backward. He sighed with annoyance. _How the hell can you take care of me, when you yourself are barely conscious?_

"Foolish woman, what have you done now?" He grumbled, and eased her head onto his lap, his eye twitching as he shook her by the shoulder, causing her head to bob lifelessly. Vegeta growled to himself and pulled her onto the bed, rolling her on her side. He sat waiting for her to make some type of movement, anything, before he had to take drastic measures...

"Out again, eh? Poor thing... " A voice murmured, and the stifling scent of burning tobacco came from the small man's mouth as he opened the door and eyed the sight. Vegeta snorted out the scent and stood.

"You know the drill, young man." Dr. Briefs said, turning his line of vision away from him and resting two fingers on Bulma's throat as he took her pulse. Vegeta undressed, remembering the old man's insistence to check him thoroughly for injury.

"Seeing as you're badly wounded, I'm guessing she passed out from seeing all that blood. Bulma's always been deathly afraid of blood... " The purple haired man murmured as Vegeta tore the remaining scraps of clothing off and went into the small shower, tugging on the cord labeled "Burn Care" with an illustration of a stick figure on fire on the wall that told him its purpose. He let the cool water rush over him, carefully moving his hands over himself as he could still hear the man's murmurs outside the door.

"Just get some rest, sweetie.. I'll take care of your friend here.. you'll both be good as new in no time.."

Vegeta closed his eyes and sighed as the aloe vera treated water soothed the burns, some of the redness calmed as he allowed himself the luxury that cooled his hot flesh.

"..Wish there was a cure for this, Bulma, you can't take any more medicine tonight.. If I could, I'd get you off the stuff, but I'm afraid that's just too risky if you have another attack like that..."

Vegeta grabbed the towel off the nearby hook and wrapped it around his waist, stepping out of the shower and sneering.

"Enough with all this medicine talk, all you earthlings rely on is pills and potions to cure every ailment, where I'm from there _was_ no need for such a thing. If what she has is a mental limitation, leave it to me. She will be longer be terrified of such a foolish thing as blood."

Dr. Briefs looked at him curiously, coming foreward and rubbing his chin as he observed the slow healing wounds with a faint sense of awe. He'd seen it before the first time Vegeta was injured, and this time was no different. It was amazing.

"Are... uh, are you educated in psychology...?" He asked, tearing his eyes from the magical sight.

"If anyone is, I suppose it would be me." He said offhandedly with a shrug, eyeing the still form on the bed with frustration.

"...Well, if you say so, I'm no stranger to a little impromptu science experiment... But this is my daughter's mental health we're talking about..." Dr. Briefs shifted his eyes back and forth beneath the thick glass of his spectacles and ushered Vegeta into the adjacent room carefully, then shut the door behind him silently and whispered.

_"If I replace her antidepressants with placebos, she won't know the difference.. I'll slowly wean her off, but I'll need your full assistance if we're going to do this. She _ ** _cannot_ ** _ end up in the hospital again, my boy..."_

Vegeta nodded and sat down on the bed as the old man squeezed out ointment and rubbed it over his chest and back with a gloved hand.

Vegeta furrowed his brows in disgust.

_I would have rather had _ ** _her_ ** _ do this part..._

He sighed, and allowed the treatment. He knew that their medicine was rudimentary at best, but it did seem to aid the healing process and make it go by even faster, which he wasn't complaining about.

"If you really think you can help, you have to _promise_ not to leave Bulma alone like she was today, that **dirty rascal **Yamcha took advantage of her when she was all doped up. I'd like to rip him a new one but I know Bulma and her mother wouldn't like that..."

Vegeta's hand clutched the sheets and he ground his teeth together, not feeling the soft sensation as the old man wrapped him carefully with gauze, instead his eyes stared far off, watching the small form through the window of the door. He was sworn to protect her from all harm. In his sworn oath, although it was never directly stated, could be implied to mean harm of the mental condition as well.

Not only that, but also, to protect the princess from defilement before it was her time to bear an heir... the idea of that pathetic earthling, not even strong enough to protect her, no, not even _worthy _of taking her body, when she had clearly sent _him_ the signal that it was no other than he himself she desired, in some foolish fleeting fancy. Vegeta scoffed, rubbing his tired eyes as the old man worked on him.

He couldn't understand why she would respond to _him_ in such a way. When she had, he found himself feeling extremely cocky with the exciting knowledge; looking back, he felt..._ashamed_. Vegeta loathed himself, just looking at his reflection reminded him of his father, of his dead race and his failure to see all Frieza's lies for what they truly were sooner.

His bloodline was ended with the death of his planet, and it would **stay** dead once the last of them were gone. He had taken not one female, not even to play with as an appetizer in all his travels through space. Raditz liked to flaunt his acquisitions in his face, even going in full detail to _describe_ the slanderous acts to him, to his displeasure. That had only made him abhor the idea furthermore.

He wouldn't take her as well and allow her to make such a rash decision, only to be heartbroken when her newborn child was slaughtered before her very eyes. The idea was tempting... he'd almost given in before with that delicious kiss, but he would _control_ himself this time.

"Well, Vegeta? What do you say, will you do it, will you help cure Bulma? I'm trusting you won't do anything amiss like Yamcha did. I believe that would go against your code of honor..." Dr. Briefs said hopefully, as he fastened the last suture on the gauze.

"I will assist her and keep her from all harm. You have my word." Vegeta responded sternly, feeling the red tendrils of rage blossom at the spoken name of her assailant.

"Now, just to be safe, have you ever had a tetanus shot...?" Dr. Briefs asked, explaining its purpose to Vegeta then giving the plunger of a needle a test pump. Vegeta shook his head, no. He wasn't at all paranoid that this harmless little old man was going to inject him with poison. He would recognize the scent and sting if it were. He watched the needle enter his flesh painlessly as Dr. Briefs poked him with the tiny needle in a stealthy move that was just as swift as it was effective.

"Hn.." Vegeta seemed distracted as Dr. Briefs placed a bandaid on his arm and patted it.

"You handled that much better than Goku, hmm, while were at it _you know..." _He intoned suggestively, tapping his chin and looking to the cupboard stocked with all the necessary shots, and even rare, sought after immunizations for incurable diseases they had the good fortune to have on hand. Little did he know, Vegeta's body would quickly become immune to any Earth viruses he encountered; otherworldly ones on the other hand could possibly be of concern, but he had lived through many ailments up until now without any serious complications.

"That will be all, old man."

Vegeta stood abruptly and brushed him off, going through the door and to the hospital bed where Bulma lied. He picked her up easily in his arms and carried her out of the room, ignoring the man's surprise as he shouldered open the door and carried her away from the heavy scent of medicine, of blood and sickness that disgusted him, taking her upstairs to her bedroom.

Vegeta paused at the door, peering through the cracked opening as the blonde matron inside shuffled around quickly, cleaning the room. Everything smelt offal, the heavy scent of sweat and shame that Yamcha had left made him grimace as the woman's feeble minded mother picked up a bundle of sheets in her arms and approached the door, humming with her eyes closed.

Vegeta cringed back and quickly took off to his own pristine room, closing the door behind him softly and lied her carefully on the bed. She rolled over as she settled in, softly mumbling and rubbing her exposed arms prickling with goosebumps. Vegeta turned his back to her; sitting cross legged on the floor, observing the rain drops meandering on the window pane. He allowed the heat from his body to radiate, then heard her breaths soften. Listening to the soft sound of her breathing and the pattering of rain, he closed his eyes. As he relaxed, Vegeta answered her with a low rumbling purr in his chest, falling into a meditative calm that would allow him to rest, yet also be on the alert for any intruders that dared to go after his ward.

Shortly after arriving at Princess Snake's palace, Goku had caused quite the commotion among all the princesses servant girls, who darted around him catching antique vases and following him cautiously as the princess gave him the grand tour of the palace, wrapping her delicate teal fingers around his burly bicep and blushing bright red as she was enchanted with his uncommonly strong body.

"It's so _nice_ to have a strong man around for once, why, I haven't entertained a man friend in such a long time.. I hope you don't think me too forward.." She said coyly, pressing her chest to his arm.

Goku smiled and kept walking, admiring the paintings and the large sculptures curiously.

"Uh, well, its no problem Miss Princess, I'll do whatever I can to help, you seem like a nice lady. " He said and she smiled even brighter, her white teeth gleaming with the tiny pinprick fangs beneath her luscious glossy green lips.

"Oh, Goku, you are such a sweet man! I have an idea, how about while my servants cook our little feast, you can help this poor little lady with some things around the palace, I'm not strong like you..." She said shyly, tracing her purple fingernail down the curve of his shoulder.

"Ok, I suppose I could do that, what did you need help with?" He said, and rubbed his arm with a slightly annoyed expression where her nails were tickling him. Princess Snake grinned and started coming up with some deviously clever ideas of what her new man toy could do...

"Hmm... Could you move that statue a little to the left for me, I'm afraid it's needed a good dusting behind it for some time." She asked sweetly, pointing to the tall statue of David at the end of the foyer, that was so tall and magnificent Goku took pause and stared at the sculpture of the muscular man with his privates barely concealed by a small seashell. Goku chuckled and his cheeks turned a bit pink as he saw this, nevertheless he wrapped his arms around the base and lifted it, walking bowlegged as he walked around looking for a good place to put it.

Princess Snake gasped and put one hand to her brow, nearly falling backwards as she swooned, her retainer caught her and got her to her feet, a bit woozy. Goku set down the statue a few paces to the left, brushing his palms off and exclaimed with the effort.

"Whoo! That was kinda heavy! Miss Snake, are you ok?" He walked over and took her hand, pulling her to her feet kindly.

"Oh, my... yes. I'm alright.." She whispered breathlessly, narrowing her shoulders and hiding her face coyly in the white fur boa.

"What else did you need me to do?" He asked eagerly, stretching out his hands. Princess Snake looked to her retainer with a sharp glare, and the girl took off shivering. She fingered the boa and eyed him seductively.

"Well, now that were all alone, why don't you assist me in my bedroom...?" She suggested with her red eyes warming into his. Goku felt a small warning thought tugging at his mind but shook it off, remembering the task at hand.

"What did you need me to do, exactly?"

He asked chipperly. The princess wrapped her fluffy boa around his neck and pulled him backwards to the doorway, pushing it open with her backside as they came into the luxurious bedroom. Goku chuckled nervously as she pulled him with a firm tug, and he tripped over her feet, then fell on top of her on the bed.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" He said, and started attempting to push his way off. The green skinned seductress only pulled the fur boa tighter and yanked him forcefully down to her.

"Goku, aren't you a persistent man, falling on top of me like this, oh my!" She blushed and turned her face away in a false show of shyness, her thighs coming around and wrapping around his waist, holding him close to her body.

"I didn't do that, you should be more careful, Miss Snake, I could have really hurt you. Are you feeling ok?" He asked with concern, lowering his arms and looking at her face closely. Her cheeks were reddened and her orange curls were falling across the silky green bedspread.

"I-I'm afraid you're crushing me, you'll have to pick me up like this so that I don't hurt my, er.. back again..." She whispered breathlessly, locking her red high heels around him.

"Um, ok, you mean like this?" Goku stood and held her up, hefting her up in his arms and looking down curiously. Princess Snake gasped and rested her head on his chest, clutching his back.

"Y-yes, that's good, now maybe let's make sure my back isn't broken I'll try moving it.." She said softly with a gasp as she rubbed herself on him, Goku's eyes widened and he pulled her away from his body, a bright red hue coloring his cheeks.

"Er... uh, sorry you shouldn't do that, that might make something bad happen!" He turned, looking for some place to set her and rested her on the nearby table, watching her with a concerned expression.

"Ooh!" She exclaimed as Goku pressed her into the table, and she felt his hips graze hers just barely, before holding himself back carefully.

"W-what do you mean by something bad, Goku?" She asked, trying to calm her rapid pants. Goku scratched the back of his head and blushed even brighter, darting his eyes around.

"Well, you see, uh, I get all stiffened up when things touch there in a certain way, it's really annoying.. So if you could try not to rub there, that would probably be best." He said, and laughed to cover his embarrassment.

Princess Snake eyed him carefully up and down, watching how he shifted nervously and attempted to cross one leg over the other, moving around uncomfortably.

"Hmm, so you mean if I do this, something really bad will happen?" She whispered, and stroked one hand down his groin, feeling the firmness growing there and smiled with her pleased discovery. Goku watched her hand move with widened eyes, a drop of sweat dropping down his brow.

"Yeah, if you do that I won't be able to control what happens next. So you better let me go now, miss, I don't want to have to do something mean to you."

"Mean? I don't think you would be treating me unkindly if you helped me with this little issue with my back, in fact maybe you could help me by massaging it from the _inside_.." She sighed, rubbing him more fervently and spreading her legs before him to reveal her sheer purple panties.

"Um...how would I do that?" Goku's eyes widened and he gulped as he stared at her thinly veiled dark green folds, with glistening pink at the very center.

"You have a pretty little pat-pat like Chi-Chi... I know what I'm supposed to do when mine is down there." He said, with a small smile his eyes lit up with the thought of Chi-Chi showing him what he was supposed to do down there on their wedding night. It had been so pleasanty surprising when he found out where it was supposed to go, and how it felt... It did feel sort of like a massage, but a really, really good one. He didn't like the sound of giving one to Princess Snake though, even if her back hurt. She was pretty and all, but she wasn't Chi-Chi.

"Wait... something isn't right, I don't think I'm supposed to do that, I'm married... "

Princess Snake sighed and pulled him by his manhood closer to press to her warmth, stroking him upwards through his gi to press against the thin cloth of her lingerie.

"It's alright, we still have our clothes on..

Just look up into my eyes, Goku... show me your true desire and I will make it come true..."

He looked up and gasped as he gazed into her spellbinding red eyes, cringing as she was unrelenting in her ministrations. She looked into him and saw his desire, and made herself into the image of that desire. She was suddenly colored with pale creamy skin and hair black as night, and when Goku saw this his eyes widened and he dug his nails into the table, creating cracks as his breathing grew heavier, his eyes becoming glazed over as she grinned with her achievement over him.

"Well, I must be a really bad girl to be doing this to you, I don't see how this is bad if it makes you feel good.." She said in a sultry voice, panting as the movement of rubbing him against her pink cleft caused her to sigh in ardor, her heat beginning to throb and become drenched with wanting at the close proximity of his hard shaft rubbing her entrance. He jerked his hips uncontrollably against her, grinding himself on her roughly and made a deep sound like a growl.

"_Oh, Chi...Chi.._" He moaned, and she heard a large crack of splintering wood and a hoarse groan as Goku came, and the table fell down from beneath her. He caught her before she could fall, panting as warmth spread though his pants and leaked through onto her thighs as his hot arousal came gushing out. The illusion faded as it was gone from his mind and she returned to her green-skinned form once again. He pulled back from her violently and gasped.

"Oh..um...uh, I'm really sorry! I thought you were Chi-Chi!" Goku blushed and picked her up, gingerly holding her away from himself and setting her down on the bed.

"This is so embarrassing, but I need to change my pants now. I told you not to do that but you didn't listen, Miss Snake. That was really bad.. I'm not sure that Chi-Chi would be happy that you pretended to be her."

"Who is this Chi-Chi person?" She snapped, baring her fangs viciously, then covering them with one hand and batting her eyes innocently. Goku plucked at the wet fabric of his pants and eyed her carefully, he could have sworn he saw sharp teeth for a second but he couldn't be sure.

"You see, Chi-Chi is my wife and normally only she does that. If I wasn't such a nice guy I would be really mad at you, but I understand if you don't know what you did was bad. It took me a long time to figure those things out, so I forgive you. Maybe you could make it up to me with some food and a bath, I'm really hungry and I feel sticky now. " He said, with a huff of irritation.

_He's scolding me as if I were a child that doesn't know right from wrong! Just after he got his rocks off, he didn't seem to mind that much while it was happening! _

Princess Snake crossed her legs angrily, no longer feeling quite as aroused, she felt hot and bothered and quite unsatisfied! She turned her face up haughtily and snorted at him derisively.

"Fine. Go to the room down the hall, and get cleaned up. My servants will call you when dinner is done." She snapped, not looking at him as she shuffled out of the room rubbing the back of his head, looking down at the floor in shame of what he had done.

_I feel bad I couldn't control what was going to come out, but I _**_told_**_ her that was going to happen... I really hate how bad this makes me feel, I guess maybe I shouldn't have been thinking about Chi-Chi when she did that, but I really miss her.. I love you Chi-Chi... So much..._The door closed behind him and Princess Snake huffed, pulling up her dress she lied back on the bed and elongated her fingers, hissing as they snaked their way down to the sheer lace and she played with her dark green clit, rubbing his remaining fluids around herself and moaning as her center became more slippery and hot, she tore a hole in the fabric and plunged her long digits inside and thrusted them up in her pillowy warmth deeply, pumping them in and out, then squeezing her thighs around her arm as she shuddered with her orgasm.

_Goku will be mine, once he realizes he would be a fool to resist my temptations, I'll make him forget all about his precious little Chi-Chi..._

The dark cave that Gohan had burrowed himself inside was warm and close around his balled up form as he dreamed, thinking fondly of his family, he smiled in his sleep.

_"Now, let's dig in!" His mommy said, opening up a large picnic basket. He looked to his daddy and Uncle Raditz as they dug in, pulling out a giant sub sandwich that was wider than all of their mouths combined._ _"I get first dibs!" Uncle Raditz said as he sunk his teeth in the end and shook his head, tearing off a large piece. Goku smiled down at him and split the sandwich in three quarters, one for him, Gohan and Chi-Chi._ _"Here you go, eat up!" He said, and Gohan munched into his piece happily._ _"This is yummy! I wish we could do this all the time!" He said chipperly, biting down into his sandwich._

His stomach growled so loudly it woke him up, or, at least he thought it was his stomach. Gohan had eaten his share of lizards and cactus he found in the wasteland, it didn't taste very good but it was better than nothing. Little Gohan rubbed his eyes wearily and opened them to see a large pair of yellow eyes gazing at him, and screamed in fear when he heard the low rumble of a Sabertooth tiger.

"Oh no! It really wasn't my stomach all this time, it must have been you growling mister tiger!" He cried out, backing away but he was trapped against the wall as the tiger crept closer, it's long yellow fangs dripping with saliva as it swiped its long pink tounge across them.

"I'll leave your cave! I'm really sorry, I didn't know that this was your home!' He said, holding both hands out in fear. Gohan stumbled backwards, and felt something warm by his ankle, then heard a tiny mewl. He looked down and saw three tiny bundles of golden fur, and gasped.

"These must be your babies, I guess that means you're a mommy tiger... "

The Sabertooth growled and crept closer, its large paws padding on the ground, the deadly claws clicked the smooth stone surface of the burrow. Gohan trembled, holding his arms out protectively around the kittens.

"I promise I'm not here to hurt your kittens! I was just cold and came in here to get some sleep!" He said, feeling guilty, he curled his tail around his waist and clutched it in his hands, wringing it nervously. The tiger eyed the tail curiously and watched, then stepped forward and nudged him with her large, wet nose.

"Hehe! That feels funny!" He giggled, wiping his cheek.

The tiger purred loudly and nudged him again, knocking him down onto his back. She turned and dragged over the carcass of a deer, freshly killed by the look of the blood pumping out. The kittens awoke to the smell and eagerly ran and started tearing into the meat savagely, purring and kneading their paws in the flesh as they dined. The mother cat took the back leg of the deer in her jaws and tore it free easily, setting it down front of Gohan, then relaxing and licking the blood from her paws.

"Um... you want me.. to eat this? It's raw..." Gohan said cautiously, sniffing at the oddly tantalizing scent of fresh blood. He pushed the leg away with a toe and shivered as the mother cat looked up and growled, nudging the leg back with her snout. Gohan felt the saliva filling his mouth and rubbed his stomach, looking down at the meat in question.

"I suppose...food is food. It probably tastes better than those nasty lizards." He said, shrugging, and picked up the leg, easily tearing away the fur and looking at the glistening red meat. He licked his lips and sunk his teeth into the flesh, feeling a burst of flavor in his mouth as he bit off a large chunk and chewed.

"Hey! This is yummy!" He enthused, and began biting in ferociously, tearing the flesh away and splattering his cheeks with blood as he consumed it.

Raditz gazed up at the bright orb of light, feeling his heart rate increasing as his blood began to pump furiously though his veins as the change began to overtake him, he roared as his teeth became large and sharp, his hair bristled on his body and began to thicken as he growled, feeling the oozaru form take him over at last.

Tien looked on in amazed terror as Raditz became even larger, he backed away slowly and prepared himself as his form grew, and expanded until he was nearly as tall as the moon in the sky, Raditz roared and pounded his fists on his breasts, the Dodon Ray's entry wound now only a small pinprick in his massive form. Raditz turned, lowering his muzzle to look down on Tien. "Now you can witness the great power of the oozaru, look up on me and cower Shinhan. You have met your end." Raditz spoke with a red glow eminating from between his rows of deadly fangs, growling with an unearthly rumble that shook the earth as he stomped one foot on the ground before him. Tien rolled out of the way quickly, landing on two of his four arms he pushed himself upward and hovered into the air fearlessly.

"Do you think I'm afraid of you just because you're an oversized gorilla? Ha! I haven't even shown you what I can really do with all this power, thanks to Launch I'm more than capable of killing you, no matter how large you get, you can't win against me!" Tien shouted, glaring directly into the red eyes before him and shot multiple ki blasts into the muzzle of the beast, aiming for his eyes or mouth, whichever would give him access to penetratrate his brain with the dodon ray.

Raditz swatted him away like a fly and Tien fell hard to the ground, feeling one of his arms break as he used it to brace himself. He cried out in pain and snapped off the dangling limb, leaving only a bloodied stump. Tien panted, crawling across the ground, he reached out for Launch, to pull more power from her. Raditz saw this and buried Tien into the ground with his fist, a circular concave radiating around the massive knuckles of his beast form.

"You will not take the last of her life, dare and try it and you die." Raditz growled lowly, the booming voice shook the ground and Launch's sleeping form stirred as he pulled back his large hand and observed as Tien slowly struggled to move.

_Raditz... he's here... I feel.. his presence..._

_Launch opened her violet eyes and stared out the mirror glass, seeing her other self slumped unconscious on the outside._

_"Launch!? Launch?!" She cried, pounding her fists on the glass to awaken her, looking on hopelessly at the blonde locks that lay scattered on the blue sand._

_She felt for the cracks of the invisible door frantically, her nails scratching the glass and creating divots in the metal where it had been scratched many times before._

_The faint light of the artificial moon shone in on their dream world, flickering up high in the dark sky as Launch felt herself being pulled once again by the forces of the celestial bodies._

_"I have to get out! Now!" She screamed hoarsely, peeling off layers of the mirror desperately with her bleeding fingers._

Tien at last got to his feet, clutching the severed arm and breathing raggedly from being crushed, he could hear the wheeze in his breath as his ribs threatened to puncture his lungs. He looked up at the great ape gazing down at him curiously with its massive head cocked in question, it's large tail squirming and thumping on the ground as if in elated wait for his playmate to return to the battle. The rain came down in torrents and drenched Raditz's fur, turning him into nothing but a black shadow with fiery red eyes before him, licking its teeth.

"You're kind enough to wait for me to stand, are you? What a great show of humanity..." Tien spat venomously, spitting blood on the ground. "Do you have a brain in there at all now, Raditz? Have you allowed yourself to become nothing but a beast like I have?" Tien said in a low grating voice, allowing his trio of eyes to become alight with white fire as Raditz straightened above him, reaching down and grasping him in one hand to better observe him. Tien breathed in and out rapidly in the slowly constricting fist of Raditz, their glowing eyes meeting and glaring at one another with rage.

"I am still coherent." The voice rumbled, with a hot breath blasting past Tien.

"My mind does not evade me."

He finished, and with that, he dropped him, tilting back his head and forming a large red orb in the back of his throat, Tien began to run as Raditz lowered his head and began shooting off giant ki blasts from his open mouth, bellowing with each great blast as they struck the ground at Tien's heels, the heat close at his back. Tien took to the air and levitated, evading the orbs as they rushed past and blew through the forest, shattering trees with loud cracks of splintering wood, pulverizing the ground beneath them.

Raditz slowed his blasts, closing his mouth he got onto his knuckles and approached Tien's levitating form and growled as he observed the light from his three eyes becoming so bright and blinding he flinched back, groaning.

Tien pulled all the power he could muster from himself, pouring it all into this one blast, his entire body became surrounded by an intense heat as it become fully aglow and electrified; his body heat rising to a fever pitch as he rotated his remaining arms and moved in the damp of rain, becoming a conductor of electricity himself as it swelled within him.

" No, Tien! Don't do it! It's too much power!" Chiaoutzu screamed from the ground, blasting upwards and floating before Tien. He held his arms out in a show of sacrifice, in his desperate need to stop Tien before his power became too much to handle.

"Get out of the way, Chiaoutzu, it's too late to stop me! What's begun cannot be undone!" He screamed, as he shifted his stance and brought his arms down to form a large ball of electrified golden gossamer light, his eyes were blind with rage and full of his overflowing energy as he looked past Chiaoutzu and directly at Raditz. The great ape lifted one paw and swatted Chiaoutzu to the ground, grumbling as he stood and observed Tien, his red eyes gleaming with the excitement of a challenge.

"Give me all your power, Tien. I am not afraid, I challenge you to try and mar my perfect form." Raditz roared, straightening onto two legs and grinning with his long teeth confidently.

_She heard him, Launch realized, that voice; although altered was of her Raditz, who was ready to take every last drop of energy from Tien's final attack and bear it all. "No! Raditz! Can't you feel how strong he is! It's overflowing! His power is so massive it will explode!" She screamed in terror, now she was pounding furiously on the glass, screaming incoherently until her voice was hoarse and raspy, until at last she felt a crack under her fist._

_Launch pulled back her hand with a soft gasp and watched as the shattered glass fell away from her unharmed hand. She looked at her own hand, at her fingernails that had become long and sharp and shuddered, clutching her hand into a fist she easily broke the mirror, falling to her knees as the mirror gave way fully and she was free. Launch looked to her other form on the ground and rolled her over, observing the blonde's sharp features which had softened in her unconscious state. She placed one hand on her other self's forehead and felt the heat radiating there, then pulled back and sighed with relief_.

"_I'm sorry to have to do this, but I really need to be out there and not you." She whispered, and picked up her other self and placed her carefully on the other side of the wall, even though the glass was broken. Then she turned, and gazed up at the sky, at the moon that seemed to light her way out of the dream world and stepped up the stairway that led to her consciousness._

"Tien! Please, don't do it!" Chiaoutzu screamed, but it was too late as Tien reached the final rotation of the move and bellowed, "_REIKITZEN!!" _

The blast was so massive it was the size of a comet, larger than any meteor or asteroid Raditz had seen in all his travels in space, he reached out and clutched the massive glowing ball in his hands, growling as the electricity sizzled in his palms and throbbed, desperately attempting to radiate outward and possibly not only demolish him, but also the Earth.

He roared, squeezing the ball, he rose his arms and threw it; sending the blast flying through the sky and far away into the outer galaxy where it would eventually hit solid mass and explode. Tien slumped his shoulders and slowly lost his balance, careening down to the ground. Raditz put out one large paw and caught him on the flat of his palm, pulling it close and observing as Tien's form slowly shrunk, the extra arms dissapeared and he was once again only a man, now with one arm, the other chopped cleanly over his bicep.

"You are strong." Raditz said softly as he watched the form slowly wither, and Tien opened his eyes and gazed up at him sadly.

"I wasn't strong enough... I did not have the discipline of mind that I valued for so long.." He coughed, blood splattered onto his chin as Raditz stroked his back with one large digit, looking down with concern and rumbling.

"You were a good fighter." He said, and lowered him, attempting to make him stand. Tien slumped down to the ground weakly, barely holding himself on one arm.

"Being a good fighter is not all that matters. I wasn't a good man. Not for her." He coughed, and spit up dark liquid on the ground.

"You were." A familiar voice said raspily, and both turned their heads to the voice as Launch floated up from the ground and stared down at Tien, her blue hair danced on the air and lashed about, her violet eyes lit with an unearthly power.

"Launch? What happened... you're.." Tien gasped, and she lowered down to meet him, walking carefully on the crumbling ground.

"Launch loved you regardless of your faults, Tien. She would have done anything for you..." She spoke, feeling the hole in the mirror, she now could speak for the other as their thoughts mingled together.

"She says, please don't fight, Tien... Please, this fight is selfish; we don't want to be fought over. We want to choose on our own." She said softly, and knelt and placed a kiss on Tien's cheek.

"This kiss is from Launch, she says to take it with you wherever you go. I'm afraid she's just not ready right now to wake up. Goodbye Tien." Launch said softly, and looked up towards Raditz, who looked down at her and panted heavily, his breath creating a hot wind between the torrents of rain. She lifted her hands up and clasped his finger, crawling up into his palm. Raditz lifted her and looked at her curiously, sniffing her. Launch giggled and pushed on his snout.

"Not now Raditz, first, we must do what we have to. I want to go up." She whispered, pointing to the sky. Raditz obliged, lifting her as high as his height could take her. Launch stood before the radiant light of the artificial moon and bathed in it, closing her eyes. The light surrounded her form and her skin glowed with the illumination, as Launch opened her eyes they became vibrant red and she cried out, cringing as she curled and there was a tearing of flesh and a splatter of blood on Raditz's palm as a shadow moved in the light, curling and twitching. Launch stood and gasped, straightening.

She opened her mouth and felt her sharp teeth with her tounge, then arched her back and a long blue tail curled up from her backside and twined around her back.

"We've awakened now... The light has released our true forms. I am now a complete Gemini Saiyan." Launch said, and rose from Raditz's palm, levitating down to Tien who shuddered with amazement, sweating with the agony of his rapidly fading heartbeat.

"Launch... you're like me.. and him?" He whispered in surprise, getting to his knees.

"Yes. Now, my other half still doesn't wish for you to die, although now, you must understand why she can no longer love you.. Tien, do you wish to be healed?"

He nodded his head eagerly, and she reached one hand out to press over his heart.

"No." A voice boomed from above, as Raditz leaned down, he growled as she sent gold tendrils of light into Tien, who in turn breathed in lungfuls of air as his bones were unbroken, cried out with joy as his arm was once again healed.

"That is all you need now, please use this power wisely, Tien. " Launch said softly and backed away, her dark violet eyes gleaming as he got to his feet and looked at himself in amazement.

"You should not have done that, Launch..." Raditz said, groaning as the artificial moon met its end and he began to shrink down back to mortal form, his body moving unnaturally as it bent and contorted back into his base form.

Launch fled to Raditz's side and pressed her hand on his bleeding chest wound, gazing up at him as as the excess hair receded and his large fangs slowly shrunk until they were gradual points from his canines.

He hissed with pain and looked down at her, his eyes raking over her greedily as she stroked his chest and golden tendrils of light filled the opening and healed him from the inside out. He felt a sudden boost of power as she healed the potentially fatal wound.

"You are a Saiyan...my little Launch, a Saiyan... I knew, all along, I _knew_ you were like me but I refused to believe it..." He said in awe, his eyes flickering as the gazed deeply into hers which were now ringed with black, her curling spikes not quite as soft, but to him she was twice as lovely, if that were at all possible.

"Raditz... I'm sorry, I.." She whispered, cradling her head to him, but her words were cut off as they heard a low chuckle from before them.

"How fitting, that you are nothing more than a brainless beast like him... I should have known too, with the crass way that Launch behaved, I should have figured that she was part primate." He spat, in disgust. Launch turned around and glared at him with a vicious light in her eyes, baring her small pointed canines.

"How _dare_ you speak of her that way, after I have been so kind to heal your wounds, after all the trouble you have caused!"

She screamed, her voice changing pitch and becoming as vicious as a wolf's snarl.

"You know what, I don't want her anymore, you can have her, Raditz. I'm disgusted by this...this _lower_ life form." He said, waving one hand dismissively and looking away. He closed his eyes and clenched his fists as he brought his ki to the surface once again, turning and grinning at Raditz.

"Now all I want is to eliminate you filthy apes, like you did my people. I can see into your mind, Raditz. As you were just a child, I saw you slay my ancestors. It was with my luck that my father was able to escape extinction, I can feel him out there somewhere, his eye is searching for mine. I sense him, Vulcane, where are you, my father?" He asked to the sky, staring up at the darkness and laughing unstabily.

"He says to do my duty and kill you, then perhaps I may return to him. This life of a saint has shamed me, but he says that I can recount my broken faith and return to the cult. Then I can be one with them." He said, in a voice that was dreamy and wild with exaggeration, as Tien stumbled forward, Launch flinched back and Raditz wrapped his arms around her protectively.

"Tien, don't listen to him! The Gemini people are bad, remember? Don't you remember, what you said when you swore to protect me?!" Chiaoutzu screamed desperately, flying forward, he placed himself between Raditz and Tien and attempted to diffuse the tension.

"No, that was so long ago, I can barely see it... but I can see the ages of the Earth, I remember the red soil at my feet as a child I was a man of Mars! I no longer care for the Earth, or it's people!" He said wildly, and laughed, his power was rising up in him until his eyes glowed with golden light and he raised his hands before him and laughed giddily, gazing at the light and marvelling at it.

"You're talking nonsense, boy! Snap out of it!" Master Roshi cried out from a distance, coming closer he pulled his shirt off and began to bulk up, ready to fight if he had to.

"No!" Launch cried out, "This isn't what you were supposed to do with the power, Tien! Raditz was right, you _are_ cruel!"

Raditz looked on and gently moved Launch away from him, concealing his near nudity with his tail as he strolled forward, unflinchingly.

"All of you, leave this place. It's not safe. What's about to happen cannot be stopped now." He said lowly, and eyed Tien curiously.

Tien seemed to snap out of his insanity a brief moment, seeing the faint flickering image of a warrior before him, towering over him as Raditz was drenched with water, his black mane plastered to his skin, those obsidian eyes so deep and glossy.

"Tien, you must suppress your ki now. Regain control over it." He said softly, one hand held before him in show of surrender.

"No, why would I do that when I am this powerful! Now I see, I must kill all Saiyans! That is what the voices are telling me, kill! Kill all saiyans!" He screamed hoarsely, and his skin began to squirm with the golden light, Raditz looked around rapidly and grabbed Launch and Master Roshi quickly, flying up into the sky as the two kicked and struggled.

"Hey, put me down, ya big galoot! I can help! Let me talk some sense into the boy!" Master Roshi said and struggled, but was held still by Raditz's firm grip.

"I'm sorry. It's not safe." Raditz said morosely, and exhaled through his nostrils. "What about Chiaoutzu?" Launch asked as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Raditz rumbled and blinked tiredly. "I left him in hope that perhaps he could speak sense into him, but..."

"Please, Tien, don't hurt them! Can't you see that they're good people? It doesn't matter if they're Saiyans, or if you're a Gemini! You always said that all people are equal! Tien, don't you remember your values?" Chiaoutzu screamed beneath the roar of thunder as they watched the tiny specks below them, seeing Tien's glowing aura radiating outward for miles and lighting the darkness.

_He has become immensely powerful, his ki rivals that of practically Frieza's power level... _Raditz thought, and shuddered. He could feel the aura of the power now even from this distance, he no longer needed his scouter to see that.

"I'm leaving my values behind me now, Chiaoutzu, I have a new destiny to fulfill! Get out of my way!" He screamed, pulsing the gold light outward.

"No, I won't let you! Tien, listen to me! You need to close the eye for good, it's corrupted your mind!" He cried out, bringing forth his ki in a last ditch effort, Chiaoutzu flew and clung to him.

"What are you doing? Get off of me, its not safe for you, Chiaoutzu!" Tien shouted, his skin quivering with the power brimming in his veins. Chiaoutzu shivered and lit his aura blue as he screamed with pain, readying his small body for self destruction.

"No, I'm coming with you Tien, I won't be left behind!' He cried, and Tien clutched him to his body and screamed as his skin became alight with golden fire, and there was a great sonic boom that reverberated through the air as both self detonated at once, Tien's body was spontaneously combusted in an instant, Chiaoutzu as well, leaving nothing but black ash across the ground and burnt pieces of their corpses.

The others watched the scene grimly, then Raditz turned and flew away wordlessly, clutching the two to him carefully as he made his way back home to finally rest his aching body.

"Oh, Chiaoutzu... He was such a brave little boy..." Master Roshi said softly, and choked back a sob.

"They'll be together in the afterlife... He will watch over Tien..." Launch whispered, and closed her eyes, resting her head on Raditz's bare chest as they at long last returned home.


	16. Truth or Dare

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kannon visits Nappa, Grenada has delusions, Flashback, Vegeta wakes up with Bulma, Launch finds out she has a tail, Goku plays games with Princess Snake, Vegeta and Bulma make plans for the day, Bulma is onto her parent's little secret

She moved soundlessly in the dark, swift and slinking like a panther. Kannon crept quietly through the dark hallway, her ruby eyes catching with the light of a flame as she paused, peering through the tiniest crack in the door, she shivered as she watched in silent terror.

"Hmhm... We'll get back at that one, certainly..." Grenada whispered to himself, or so it seemed as he sat cross-legged, naked on the floor of a barren room scarred by burn marks, entranced by the smouldering flame before him.

"Yes.. Mhmm... Oh, definitely. Once we're better. Hmhm. " He mused in the silence, reaching and caressing the flame with his blackened fingers, twisting his hand to and fro as the flames engulfed it.

"Ahhah... No, not that one. But he can suffer too. Hmhm. The traitorous whore _for sure._. Heheh... " He responded back to the fire, before quickly pulling his hand back, wincing.

"You bite me, _why? _Mhm... have I not only ever been your servant..? Hmhm. I _promise_, I did not!" He flinched back, cradling his hand as he seemed to be frightened of images that weren't there. "Master _please_, I am begging you, Mhm.." Grenada cowered, lowering his head in submission. He whimpered, sucking on his finger, then curled into a ball on the floor, mesmerized by the dancing flame.

Kannon crept back quietly, stepping softly as not to alert him, she ducked through the dark house until she came into the kitchen, and eyed the cellar door. All was completely silent, only the slow drip of the faucet could be discerned as she softly stepped to the door, and opened it carefully. She came down the stairs, into the dark basement and stood beside the large figure lying prone on the prison slab. Nappa opened his eyes, and they fell on her, widening.

"What are you doing here, Kannon? You can't be here..." He whispered, rolling onto his side and sitting up. Kannon came close to him and ran her hands over his head, down his prickling jaw and pressed his face into her chest softly.

"I can't sleep, not without you... Please, I don't want to wait for us to be together, Nappa.." She whispered in a sweet voice, lowering her face and placing kisses on his head.

"It's not safe, Pinchie. Remember our plan? Tomorrow. " He looked up and stroked the blue curl that accented her rosy cheek, his eyes softening as he saw the lonely look in her eyes.

"I'm scared... Grenada is saying he's going to get revenge on everyone, whoever that Saiyan was that fought them hurt him _real_ bad..." She said, with a worried tone. Nappa chuckled softly and pulled her to sit on his thigh.

"Don't worry, Vegeta can hold his own. Besides, he won't get the chance...you're not _scared_, are you...?" He asked, looking into her eye with a hard glare, as if addressing the Kannon inside.

She shook her head vigorously.

"I ain't scared of nothin'! Not no schizoid _freak!" _She squeaked, then widened her eyes and put her hand over her mouth with surprise at the words that had come out. Nappa smirked, tucking her blue hair back, then sniffing her neck.

"I missed that fiery spirit of yours... Mmm... I can still smell my mark here..." He growled, and nibbled lightly on her neck. "N-Nappa! Not yet...ooh!" She gasped, as he mouthed the faded mark and sucked it, nibbling the tender flesh there. The feeling sent goosebumps through her body, her back arched with ecstasy as he pulled back and blew cool air on the faded marking. He gripped her to him tightly and kneaded the flesh of her backside, his dark eyes gleaming with hunger in the darkness.

"Not in front of everyone, sweetie poo..." She giggled, shivering as he exhaled sharply and pulled back from the tempting scent of the mark, growling softly. Kannon traced one finger down his neck, smiling seductively as he gasped, where she traced circles on the thick muscle above his collarbone, leaning over and kissing there.

Nappa grunted as her soft lips placed whispers of kisses on his hardened skin, tensing his arms as she darted the tip of her tounge out and made circles on his skin. He gripped the table and groaned as she did, restraining himself from losing his control. She pulled back and giggled at his frustrated expression, batting her long eyelashes and closing her eyes sweetly, with a giggle.

"You little... fox, you... you remember.." He said with a growing smile, nuzzling his cheek on her head.

"A' course I do, snookums. I had to bite ya back for what you did!" She said, giving the area a small pinch. His eyes rolled back and he chuckled maliciously, returning his gaze back on her and flipping her over so that she was beneath him. "Oof! _Nappa!" _She said in a hush, swatting him on the shoulders.

He pulled her down to grind their hips together and licked her chest, pulling the fabric of her sheer white tank top with his teeth, rumbling into her skin.

"Did you come here just to tease me, or did you really miss me, Pinchie?" He said, with a hot breath on her generous chest.

"I-I, umm... well a' course I missed ya, I was just lonely is all, and-_ohh!"_ She gasped as he sucked on her breast, feeling the heat of his body wrapping around her and pressing at her center.

"You have_ no idea _how long I have spent dreaming of this day, how many sleepless nights I thought of you..." He said, and pressed his lips to hers, kissing her deeply as she wrapped her arms around his neck and sighed. He pulled back after a long moment, and looked her seriously in the eyes.

"You need to return to your room, though. Until tomorrow, you have to keep our little secret. Then, I can have you all to myself." He said, frowning a little as he reached down and pinched her cheek gently. Kannon opened up her green eyes then gasped, squirming under his touch, blushing.

Nappa leaned down and softly brushed his lips on her neck, kissing her bruises that still remained. Kannon turned her head and closed her eyes, tears streaming down her face as he kissed each bruise tenderly, licking gently, rumbling in his chest as he doted on her wounds with careful attention.

She wrapped her arms around him and allowed her tears to fall, as he pulled up her shirt and kissed her tender breasts, no longer lusting for her but only giving his quiet apology to her, nuzzling his head against her and sighing as he rested it there.

"I don't want to ever be away from you again, Nappa, I would die before I left your arms..." She said with a choked sob, squeezing her eyes shut.

"I love you, I love you _so much_..." She cried, and he kissed her lips softly, carefully holding her and treating her as broken glass in his powerful grip, wrapping his tail around her and returning the sentiment with his touch.

"You will not die, not on my watch. I won't lose you again... I won't lose, I _promise_ you. I will avenge your honor." He said, and kissed her again, stroking his hands through her blonde hair lovingly. He pulled back to gaze into her eyes and she smiled finally, her hard eyes softening with their watery gaze into his.

"Thank you, Nappa... I know you will." She said, and carefully sat up, wincing in pain as she felt her tender backside.

"What is it? It hurts here?" He asked, concerned, and gently touched her bottom through her pyjama pants. Kannon kept them pulled around her waist, shaking her head, lowering her eyes in shame.

"It'll heal. It's going to hurt awhile, that's all.. I hope you won't mind.." She said, flushing. Nappa's mouth fell open and closed, then he shook his head vigorously.

"Of course not, Kannon... Until you are better. Don't be ridiculous. I'm not some unmated _whelp_ that can't hold his own in check. But I'm still _wild_..." He chuckled, and she batted him on the shoulder playfully.

"I have to go to bed now, _wild man_... here, lie down." She whispered, and he obeyed, getting into the prone position he had become so accustomed to lying in. Kannon placed the broken shackles there to appear as if they were still attached, then leaned down and kissed him before saying her goodbyes to him and the other saiyans, making her way back to her room carefully with anticipation for the events that were soon to come. After a few moments of silence, there was movement in the cages as the saiyans shuffled to peer out through the bars.

"Is Prince Vegeta coming to save us, General?" A voice asked; thinly veiled with hope. Nappa gave a harsh chuckle.

"I wouldn't place bets on it, no."

"How are we going to get out, then?"

"...Just listen to me, I'm your General now. I'll give you all your orders, just sit tight and pay attention, alright?"

"Yes, sir." The voices spoke in unison, and Nappa smirked, closing his eyes as he mulled over their next move.

* * *

Foreign particles of hazy green sand swirled around their feet as the hiss of the space pod doors opening made an echo in the otherwise silent outland on the vast plains of the farthest planet in the South Galaxy, Planet Yjdirok.

"How much longer does he expect us to wait!? I'm going back to tear that hair-brained fool a new orifice in his spine for his tail to be crammed!"

" ...I can go out and scout for Raditz, your Highness, if that's what you'd ask of me.." Nappa suggested gently, slowly walking to stand behind Vegeta as he whipped his body back around and sent ki blasts into the surface of the planet, making craters in the soil, sending green, smoky clouds into the dark sky.

Nappa stepped back, exhaling and crossing his arms over his chest.

"What's the big commotion, some type of welcome party? Those are pretty fireworks you've got there, Vegeta." A rasping voice chuckled, as Raditz came into the clearing through the haze of the after shock, with an alien female slumped over his shoulder unconscious, his face and body splattered with green blood beneath his battle armour.

"What did you do now, _idiot! _Are you trying to make a mutant spawn on my time?!" Vegeta asked, raging as he stormed over and yanked the female off his shoulder by her leg, before winging her into the air violently, laughing as her leg came away easily in his hand, and she screamed, shortly before he blasted her body into invisible particles, leaving only a spray of green blood to rain down.

"There, that takes care of that!" Vegeta said smugly, smirking at his purge companion's reaction. Raditz lowered his eyes and his playful grin fell away as he let out a low growl, stepping forward threateningly towards Vegeta. Nappa looked on, shaking his head, watching as Vegeta clenched his fists and shook with anger.

"You don't growl at _me, _third-class! Remember your place, _scum!" _Vegeta snapped, slashing one hand in the air before the large warrior's eyes, that seemed glazed over with his intense anger.

"Shouldn't have killed the female." He replied in a growling voice, his eyes were ringed with red as he stepped forward again, his tail making curling loops in the air, then coiling in on itself.

"I've had **enough** of this, you ridiculous fool! Come off of the rutting before I castrate you myself!" Vegeta snarled, standing firm as Raditz towered over him, sweat glistened on his pale olive skin as he panted, his pupils dancing with delirium.

He pulled his lip back and bore his long fangs, then craned his neck back and made a pained howl, falling to his knees, then raking his hands through his sweat-drenched mane, bellowing in agony as the pain of his last whelping as an adult male was coming to an end.

Nappa walked over and placed a hand on Vegeta's shoulder, causing the young prince to turn and furrow his brows with bafflement.

"Don't punish Raditz, he's already in pain enough as it is... One day, you too will experience what he is going through. You'll understand why I **can't** let you harm him, Vegeta. If he survives this, he will no longer have only the potential of a lower level Saiyan. He lived long enough to see his third ester of life, that's a long life for a third-class warrior. Once his rut ends, you'd be wise to watch his actions." Nappa said carefully, flinching as Vegeta shrugged him off.

"_Pathetic! _Weakened by a female's musk! I'll never fall victim to such a _pitiful_ fate!" He snapped, and with that he stormed off and slammed the door of his pod shut. Nappa knelt down and slung Raditz's arm over his shoulder, pulling him up easily, and dragging him to his ship.

"Come along, Raditz, there's more work to be done. Soon you'll be out of the worst of it."

He helped him into his pod and set the coordinates, attaching the life support respirator to his face to help aid in healing his heat sickness. Nappa shut the door and returned to his own pod, as the other two began to rumble in preparation for take off, shaking his head.

"That fool, he has no idea... Once it happens to him, it'll be harder than he can even imagine..."

* * *

Vegeta snapped awake, gasping for breath as his eyes adjusted to the darkness. He blinked, rubbing his sweat dampened face and stood up, shaking. He turned and pulled the blanket back on his bed, sliding under the covers.

He rolled onto his side and closed his eyes, breathing in a sweet aroma and softly rumbling. He smiled and curled his arm around something solid, pulling it to him, then freezing in place as he felt that the solid mass was breathing.

His eyes opened up wide and he stared in surprise as he saw her azure head of hair sprawled out across the pillow, as she mumbled softly and reached for him in her sleep, clutching his arm and pulling it tighter around herself, then nuzzling her face into the warmth of his chest and sighing, thinking he must have been Yamcha in her sleep.

Vegeta attempted to breathe as shallowly as possible as to not inhale her scent, his body tensed and he pulled gently away from her, sliding away as carefully as he could. Bulma mumbled again in her sleep, twisting her eyebrows around in confusion, shivering.

He observed her, and noticed she was quivering from the slight chill that came from the open window. It proved useful for cooling his skin on the nights when he was too hot to sleep comfortably, but as he observed her, he concluded that a weak human like her must have much less heat in her blood. He exhaled, and softly growled as he pulled her back to him, lying with his hips held carefully away from hers.

Vegeta watched as she sighed contentedly, cozying up to him and resting her small hand on his chest, where beneath his bandages the burned skin was still hot, and sensitive to the touch. He grunted softly as her hand gripped them, then softened and her breathing became eased once again, falling back into a deep slumber. He watched her sweetly closed eyelids flutter, with those long blue lashes tickling her flushed pink cheeks. Her soft cupid's bow lips were parted and moist as her small breaths huffed out onto his chest, smelling sickly sweet of her candied breath.

_Why can't I say no to this damned woman! It pains me to bear this **humiliation**. But... It's even **more** difficult when she looks so **wretchedly** peaceful. I'll just sneak out in the morning... she'll never even know..._

He thought, becoming too drowsy to continue his thought pattern, he closed his eyes. Vegeta then sunk back into a relaxed state, pulling her closer as he grew more comfortable. He sighed deeply as his nose met her strawberry scented locks, purring with his subconscious desire. That night, his dreams took him to places where he was trapped in her scent, completely bathed in that sweet aroma.

* * *

The sun rose and at last fell over the Earth, as a new day had finally come, and with that, a much needed rest for all of it's inhabitants. Launch stirred, rubbing one eye, then cracking it open as she awoke. Her green eyes settled on the softly lit room bathed in rosy-pink light, her line of vision crawling across the floor, and seeing her green shorts from yesterday tossed on the there. Red panties, a pair of crumpled blue jeans that were too large to be hers... _Huh... That's odd._ She shivered, as she felt a tickling feeling on her back.

Launch shot up in bed and turned around, seeing wild lengths of prickly black hair, with a brown hue in the sunlight, spread over his back as Raditz still rested, the sunlight warming the skin of his bared back, his... body. Launch dared to look down, and tilted her head curiously as she could actually see where his thick tail met the base of his spine, and carefully pulled the sheet back. She was shocked by what he saw, he was completely naked!

_**Naked**...? Why is he naked?!_ She thought, her heart rate beginning to rise. She looked down and saw the light hitting her full breasts, her completely bare body. She jumped out of bed and ran towards the bathroom, screaming when she was stopped dead in her tracks, and felt a hard tug, like her spine had been torn out of her back. Launch fell to the ground, howling in pain.

_"Fuck!" _Raditz grumbled in a groggy voice, coming out of a deep sleep.

"Grrr...Stop messing around, Launch, that hurts!" He growled, twisting around on the bed, and Launch felt something pull her rear up in the air as she howled in agony, tears spilling over her cheeks.

"What the **hell** is going on?! Why did you wake me up so early, girl?!" He growled again, and then softly laughed.

"Oh...! That's a pleasing sight. I don't mind seeing a display like _that_ first thing in the morning, but you shouldn't tease a man like that unless you're ready to be mounted..."

He said with a lusty chuckle, and Launch jumped nearly out of her skin when he tickled her most sensitive place with a graze of his finger. She sat her butt down from its provocative position and blushed fiercely, as he popped his finger in his mouth and swirled around the feminine taste of her as if it were a fine wine.

"Hm, that's a nice flavor you have there... " He said, then grinned.

Launch stood, and cracked him across the cheek with her fist, covering her chest with one arm, huffing.

"You filthy pervert! What the fuck do you think you're doing?!"

Raditz blinked at her as if she were being ridiculous, standing up in front of her unabashedly showing his approval, his mouth curling into a wry grin.

"I'll do whatever _I want_ with **my** woman, especially after she offers herself to me..."

Launch looked only up, gulping as she felt the heat of him almost grazing her belly as he was at full mast just from the taste of her. She braved herself and only looked into his eyes, pretending not to notice his enthusiastic reaction to her.

"I'm not your _woman!_ Launch is! Not me!" She squeaked, covering her mouth with her hands.

"Then why did you just sound like her, and why do you think just because you are the other half of her brain, that somehow makes you _completely_ different. I _know_ her, I know that you two share some of the same thoughts and feelings, stop this silly game. I fought for her hand, that makes you mine as well, girl." He said, and glared down at her.

"_I am_ different! An' I ain't your girl!" She yelled, turning her face away, clutching her hands around her exposed chest protectively.

Raditz sighed heavily, scratching his head.

"Then get out of my way, I'll have to go take care of this _annoying..._ issue you caused in the bathroom again, unless you want to watch...?" He said teasingly, wrapping his hand around himself and stroking it with a soft growl for emphasis as he eyed her body and licked his lips.

Launch backed up and grimaced, punching him in the arm, screaming.

"Ugh! Don't you dare do that sick shit in fronta' me, ya' **caveman**! You do that in your sleep too you know, it's **gross**!"

Raditz tilted his head and sat down heavily on the bed, covering himself with the sheet, grumbling. He pulled out part of the sheet and held it out for her to cover herself with.

"Explain how you know that, now." He said, sternly eyeing her. Launch covered herself with the sheet and stared at the carpet before her, biting her bottom lip.

"I dunno, you were making a buncha noise, an' well, before I knew it ya... uh... had 'enjoyed' yourself..."

His eyes softened, and he smirked.

"And you, were watching this, _why?_" He said teasingly, crossing his arms over his chest. Launch blushed, and didn't answer.

"You tell me first, why are we naked? What did you _do_ to Launch?" She asked, with sudden apprehension. Raditz frowned and looked away, scratching his head.

"Well, I like to sleep this way, so does Launch... It's something a male does to cover their female in their scent, skin-to-skin contact. But if you're asking if I've taken her yet, the answer is no...she won't allow me to." He said with a sigh, mildly annoyed.

Launch nodded, feeling satisfied with his answer, she grinned.

"So, she's got you whipped, huh? _Ha!_ Didn't think she had it in her!" She cackled.

Raditz growled, his eyes darkening.

"I am **not** _whipped...!"_ He snapped, gripping the sheets in his hands. Then he chuckled, cruelly.

"It's _your_ turn now, tell me what was so _fascinating_ about my nightly emissions?" He asked, waggling a bushy brow at her. Launch scoffed, tightening the sheet over her cleavage, grumbling.

"It was after...after I was with Tien, I guess...I dunno." She turned her face away, blushing. "Something about the... way you said my name." She blushed furiously. Raditz reached and played with a lock of her golden hair, twirling it around his finger, admiring the glittering gold highlights in her hair as he stroked the soft curls._ "Launch..." _He whispered, kneeling down to her and brushing his lips across her forehead. She shivered as he said her name so lustfully, as he pulled back and searched her eyes with his.

"So, what did you surmise from your examination, hn?" He said softly, his eyes warming into hers. For once she saw him looking at her like that through her _own_ eyes, not through her other self's eyes, and her heart raced. She couldn't believe that she was talking about such a personal thing with him, as if it were completely normal, but he didn't seem embarrassed or shame her for expressing her feelings, so she continued.

"You're _different_ from Tien, is all. That's all I was thinking is that, maybe you would've held me after, you're... less shy."

Raditz lowered his chin and scoffed, as if embarrassed by his emotionally sensitive nature that was unbecoming of a saiyan warrior.

"That's _not_ you were thinking. The saiyan female in you was attracted to my musk, you wanted to be taken by a _real_ man, Launch. You still can. Both of you want to." He whispered huskily, and she felt a startling throb in her center that shot upward and tingled at his unabashed words, then shook her head vigorously.

"N-No! I loved Tien! And now he's gone! I couldn't, c-couldn't imagine that with you! You're not mine, you're _hers!"_ She sobbed, and Raditz let out a long sigh.

"There's more than enough of me for you, silly girl. You're only one woman, half is afraid, the other half has been hurt..." He said gently, and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her up onto him. She took the embrace gratefully, curling her body to his, crying onto him. Raditz held her and closed his eyes, stroking his hands through her hair, inhaling her scent.

"Don't be scared, little Launch, I'm here... I won't hurt you.." He whispered, rubbing his cheek across her soft hair, rumbling in his chest. Launch clung to him, digging her fingers in his firm flesh and sobbing out the hurt of her loss, drenching his hot skin with her tears for an almost endless amount of time until they at last subsided. She was distracted by the feeling of tingles in the bottom of her spine, curling up and caressing her in the most sensual way.

"What is that...? That weird feelin'..?"

Raditz chuckled softly, and she felt a gentle squeeze, that elicited a soft moan from her.

"That's just your tail wrapping with mine, it's a natural reaction, due to our close proximity." He said, and lifted his thick, dark brown tail, and as she looked down she saw that there was something golden brown tangled with it, coiling and caressing erotically like snakes; the sensation made her skin crawl as she watched, gulping and looking to him with flushed cheeks. She heard the words he'd said, but it just couldn't be possible, how could she have a tail?

Suddenly, she felt him slowly tighten his tail and cried out, feeling herself aching for something, she pulled hard and yelped out in pain as there was a golden brown tail snaking out in front of her, quivering. She grasped it and held it, jumping when she felt a new sensation in return, as it squirmed wildly in her hands.

"I actually have.. a _tail!_ Just like yours!"

He nodded, giving her a toothy smile that showed he was very pleased by the new appendage.

"Gross!" Launch jumped up, holding the sheet to her chest. She looked at her backside, as the small brown tail whipped around, and fuzzed up.

"Why's it doin' that?!" She exclaimed, grabbing it, then yelping again when she squeezed too hard. Raditz laughed aloud; amused, thumping his on the bed. His cheeks ached from smiling, he felt so glad, more entertained than he had in a long time, just watching the girl playing with her new tail. It was a simple joy, but made him feel very happy. Proud, that now he had his own Saiyan female.

"Our tails are how we Saiyans communicate, it's an unspoken expression of your emotion. Right now you are scared; feeling excited and that is why it prickles. Mine thumps when I'm happy, and they curl when we are intimate, your tail wrapped with mine because it knows I am a suitable mate for you, Launch." He said with a warm smile, his dark eyes sparkling.

"How do I stop it from doin' all that!?" She yelled, and the tail stuck straight out and puffed up until it was doubled in size. He frowned a little, rubbing his chin, then recalled what Nappa had him and Vegeta do at a young age, when they still didn't have full control of their tails. Vegeta had always done his training like he was supposed to, to the point where he was abusing his own tail, but being a Super-Elite, he was actually _born_ with a tail that was much less sensitive. But Raditz, well...He would end up _playing_ more than _training_ his tail, and that's why he still had an extra-sensitive tail.

"Well, we _could_ do tail training if we have to... during battle, wrapping it around your waist stills its movements for the most part, and protects us from harm. Your tail is new, it will take time for you to become accustomed to it, and it's quirks. Soon it will become more comfortable, as an extension of your body. Then you will be more able to control it's movement." He said, shrugging. He used his tail to pick up his pants; turning away from her and pulling them up. He buttoned them and pushed his tail through the small hole, then looked over his shoulder at her, smirking.

"Do you know how to cook, or should I go hunting for my breakfast..?" He asked playfully, winking as she pulled the blanket around her tighter, and furrowed her brow. He took her silence as a no, and felt his heart flutter with a small amount of excitement as he thought of a fun idea, that would perhaps make Launch less upset about having a tail, once she saw all the things she could do with it.

"That's fine, I miss hunting anyhow. Would you like to come along, and start your tail training?" He said, turning and playfully batting at her tail with his own.

"How can you see behind you without even looking!?"

Raditz chuckled, reaching and grabbing his bracers off the floor that he had retrieved before coming back home last night.

"You'll find that tails have many more uses than just wagging, I'll show you, if you're ready."

She nodded, a small smile on her face.

"Sure, why not."

* * *

"_AIIIIEEEEEE! GET OUT OF MY ROOM!GET! OUT! VEGEEETAAAA!" _Bulma screamed on top of her lungs, slapping at his face and body frantically as he still tried to register what the hell was going on that was making the woman so upset. He grumbled, brushing off her harmless slaps, and turned over in the bed, curling into a little ball.

"Did you not just hear me?! I **said**, _get out_ of my bed!" She said, sitting up, huffing with annoyance. Then, Bulma actually looked around the room, and her eyes widened with realization.

"I could say the same to the _screaming banshee_ in my bed, but I'm used to your caterwauling **blowing** my eardrums out at this point." He remarked with a soft scoff, then sat up on the side of the bed and the sheet fell away, showing her his sculpted back, that led to his...his tail, she realized, and gasped.

"Y-You're SICK! You know that, _sick! _" She gasped, shielding her eyes as he stood up and showed her his pale caramel colored backside shamelessly, picking up the black boxer shorts she'd provided for him, and putting them on.

"I don't recall contracting an illness; nor do I understand why you insist on screaming when I'm_ right here _in front of you, Woman!" Vegeta snapped back, _now_ he was getting mildly annoyed, and after getting such a good night's rest too. _Why__ does she have to be so **loud**? _He thought, she was much more preferable when she was asleep, and not screaming.

Bulma fell silent, looking down at the white Capsule Corps shirt she had on, and her pyjama pants with her favorite sarcastic cartoon character 'Happy Bunny' on them.

"At least I have all my clothes on, that's a good sign... but how did I end up here? You didn't... _carry_ me here?" She said frankly, eyeing him suspiciously. The last thing she remembered was trying to get him into the medical wing when he came home so badly injured. After that, it was all a blur. So were the events before that.

"W-What the hell happened to me yesterday!? And where the hell were you?!" She said accusingly, if she remembered one thing, it was the strong feeling of hurt when Vegeta left without saying goodbye.

Vegeta was silent, almost sulking as he hung his head and glanced back at her from his peripheral, his tail twitching almost in a nervous way, just slightly wriggling behind his legs as he contemplated on how to tell her what had happened.

"Well...?" She asked, cocking her head.

Vegeta turned and opened his mouth to speak, but there was an incessant rapping on his door that startled the both of them.

"I've got breakfast for you two lovebirds, if ya' can tear yourselves away from the bedroom!~" Bunny crooned in a sing-song voice, then ran away, tittering down the hall gaily. They both groaned with embarrassment in unison, then looked to eachother and blinked. Bulma burst out in laughter, but he only scoffed.

"Get out so I can dress, Woman...unless you're offering your services as a handmaiden to the Prince. I haven't had a servant to dress me in some time." He said with a teasing smirk, turning fully and making her flush at the sight of his compact, yet buff body.

Bulma tore her eyes away and sneered, "Dress yourself, _toad_." Then she hopped up out of the bed, sauntering out of the room and leaving the door wide open. He rushed to the door and shut it, cheeks flaring up pink at her remark.

"TOAD?! Say that again, woman?!"

He retorted angrily through the door, then heard her bellow back, "TOAD; A big, **fat**, warty fucking **bastard**!"

Vegeta flinched back, as if offended. "What a _vulgar_ mouth on that girl!" He shook his head, then pulled open the dresser to get his clothes out, and shower off the sweet stench of her scent before it drove him mad.

_What the hell is a **toad**, anyways? Better not be something she's going to regret saying... _He mused, frowning to himself as he walked into the bathroom, and shut the door behind him.

"Honestly, the nerve of that guy!" Bulma grumbled to herself, digging through her messy dresser, flinging out the random items she planned to wear on the bed.

"A handmaiden! Really?!" She said, and grabbed the ball of clothes, storming off into the bathroom.

* * *

"I'm out!" The blonde girl with a thin ponytail like a snake shook her head, covering herself with a bundle of clothes before running out of the room, bashfully.

"Me too!" "I agree!" The servant girls all scurried out, all while bashfully covering themselves. Goku blinked, shrugging.

"Sooo...does this mean I won..?" He said, frowning as if confused; he was fully clothed while everyone else had to strip naked for whatever reason. The only thing covering Princess Snake was her fur boa, and her sheer panties. She blushed and arranged the boa to cover her chest, laying down her hand of cards.

"Show me your hand, Goku."

"My hand...? Oh right, you mean my cards." He laid his cards on the table, looking at the pictures on them, but they seemed to be just weird pictures of two headed people.

"A full house! I should have known..." She growled, spitting with her spite.

They'd been playing at this game for hours, and Goku was getting really impatient to leave, but they had to put off the feast because they were missing some special ingredient. So, they played Strip Poker while they waited, and Twister. Goku won Twister because he was great at balancing, then another game called Truth or Dare, where Goku had also succeeded because he never lied. He wouldn't do anything they dared him to do, he just double-dog-dared Princess Snake to eat raw onions and hot sauce, two things he absolutely despised, and _**whew**, did it make her breath **stink**!_

Unfortunately, Princess Snake retorted with a triple-dog-dare to kiss her, which he had been out-dared to do, so all he could muster was a dry peck on the cheek, before gagging at the rancid smell of her breath.

"Nevermind that, Ill check and see how dinner is coming along." She said, before gathering up her clothes and covering herself with them.

"Great! Oh, and while you do that, could you get me another plate of those whore d'serve thingies?" He said, chipper; and sat back in his chair, closing his eyes and resting, with his ankles crossed comfortably over the table.

"Yes, of course..." She grumbled, slumping her shoulders dejectedly as she shuffled out of the room, feeling sad that seeing her practically naked had no effect on him at all, she frowned.

"I'm getting tired of all these games! A gal just needs a little compliment, a little wink, _something! _Am I ugly!?" She asked the servant girls, who all shook their heads vehemently, frightened to speak out.

"Of course not!"

"Never, you are the most beautiful!"

"He must be blind!"

"Or asexual, did you think of that?"

"Maybe he's gay!" The girls all murmured, seemingly convinced by their suggestions. Princess Snake sighed, lowering her head.

"No, no... He's not any of that... He's just a nice man, I feel wrong for trying to corrupt him, he's so, so_ innocent!" _She said, and wiped a small tear from her eye, then chuckled deviously.

"All the better to eat, a pure soul; I've never tried one of _thosssee_..." She seethed, sharply.

"Don't worry," A voice hissed.

"The Ssspanisssh fly will change hisss mind.." One of the girl's features grew darkened and altered as she showed a small bottle of liquid, and they all giggled and hissed excitedly.

"Yessss... Give him all we've got, girlsss..." Princess Snake whispered, flicking a long forked tongue out from behind her fangs, narrowing her slit-pupiled eyes.

* * *

_Oh, thank the gods these Earthlings know how to make one thing right, that's for sure...**Coffee! **_Vegeta gulped down another delicious swallow of coffee, the Queen mother had made him a _delicious_ thing called a 'Cappuccino!' with the machine that the old man was ranting about being the finest machine he'd ever made; and he _had_ to agree.

"It's got all the works, a syrup injector if you want to add a shot of caramel or mocha; a whipped cream topper that makes all kinds of patterns; it can _even_ add a dusting of cocoa powder or cinnamon; your preference! What do you think, Prince Vegeta?" The purple haired King said proudly; polishing the side of the shiny metal machine, grinning.

"I approve. Another." Vegeta said, with a small smirk, and Bunny took his cup and giggled.

"Isn't it just the _bee's knees? _So much better than just plain old coffee! Do you want to try the caramel this time, Your Highness?"

He nodded eagerly, gulping in anticipation. He watched; a rapt observer as the machine made a loud whirring sound and sputtered out the hot nutrient serum, then the cream, then a syrupy rope of what they called _caramel_. The machine stirred the ingredients with a small spoon, then a burst of cool air came out to cool down the contents.

He licked his lips as his favorite guilty pleasure came out; the whipped cream. The blonde woman giggled as she picked out the cream shape; a heart, and set it down in front of him. He pulled the cup closer and tried to act casual; not _too_ excited as he rose it to his lips and sipped. They both looked on, with their eyes sparkling in wait of his approval.

_This one's even better! My word! It's sheer magnificence in a cup!_

He swallowed, and nodded.

"It will suffice for my needs." He said with a brisk nod, and Dr. Briefs pulled up a chair next to him, setting down his own cappuccino and grinning.

"You're welcome to use it anytime, my boy, its stocked right full with coffee!"

"I'm glad ya like it, it makes hot cocoa too!" Bunny said, giggling and began taking breakfast out of the oven where it had been keeping warm.

"Mmm, something smells good!" A familiar, likably scratchy voice in his ear sang, as Bulma trotted into the kitchen, in a seemingly pleasant mood.

His eyes discreetly roved over her, taking in the interesting garment she wore, a light pink dress with bunches of red fruit on them, strawberries or whatever she called them. He subconsciously licked his lips before taking another sip, reminded of the taste of her fermented sugar drink from before, and her accompanying scent, which had combined in his memory. It wafted with each step she made, as the frilly bottom of the dress stretched over her soft backside and revealed the most delightful peeks of her creamy white thighs.

"Prince Vegeta? Did ya want BACON or SAUSAGE, dear?" Bunny asked loudly, tapping him on the shoulder.

"Both." He muttered quickly, gulping as he peeked over to Dr. Briefs to see the man contentedly reading the morning news while puffing on a cigarette, always ever less the wiser. Vegeta let out a sigh and returned his examining eyes deftly back as Bulma fixed her cappuccino, dipping one finger in the frothy cream and popping it in her mouth.

Her strange blue hair was slightly damp, and very straight as it fell down to the middle of her back. He watched as a tiny drop of water fell from her hair and onto the back of the pastel pink dress, making the fabric dark, and revealing a pattern that his eyes narrowed to examine. He bit his lower lip as he saw that it was a sheer, lacy fabric. He rumbled just slightly in his chest, imagining how _easily_ it would tear.

"Here you are, Prince. Someone's still lost in the afterglow I see~" Bunny said lowly, with a wink as she set the large platter of food down before him. Vegeta snapped to attention, diverting his eyes from the sinful distraction slinking away to sit across the table from him.

"Ugh, mom! Don't say **disgusting** things like that, you'll make his perverted little mind even more _warped!"_ Bulma scoffed, giving him a scowl. Vegeta jumped a little at her remark, then watched Bunny dismiss her with a flapping hand, her bracelets jangling as she retrieved her breakfast.

"Nonsense, I think Vegeta has something he wants to say to you, don't you dear? What do ya think of Bulma's outfit?" She asked, nodding with encouragement.

His mouth; which had been watering over the food became dry, as he attempted to wet his lips. He growled softly as his eyes darted down and saw the vast expanse of pale, soft flesh that was nestled attractively in the rippled fabric, he took a deep breath and tore his eyes away, stabbing his fork into his food.

"A blatant show of indecent exposure." He spat, and shoved a large sausage link in his mouth.

"Oh, _you ass! _Like I **care** what _you_ think! " Bulma growled back, crossing her arms over her chest.

He chewed and gulped quickly, thankful she covered herself at last.

"That's entirely too much flesh to have on display, it will attract your scruffy vagrant boyfriend back though, I'm sure." He grumbled, continuing to eat.

They all seemed to quiet after his comment, Bunny laughed nervously and sat down next to Bulma, patting her hand as she ate, looking at Vegeta with a screwed up eyebrow.

"Who, _Yamcha?_ Don't worry about him, Vegeta. I don't want to see him." She said with a shrug, her mind apparently still fuzzy from the events of yesterday.

_Good_. He was tempted to say, but her father cut in instead, setting down his paper.

"I would hope not, my dear." He said carefully, resting his hand over hers.

"Of course not! He's a lying, two-timing _jerk! _I'm going to call him and tell him today, that we're through, I'm _done_ with his childish games!" She snarled, stabbing her food with her fork; and they left it at that for the time being, before the truth made her even more upset, and she lost her appetite.

"I think that's a good idea, dearie. Why, it's such a lovely day! You should take Vegeta out, now that everything is all calmed down I'm sure they won't even recognize him, as long as he's not with that big brute. Whatever did happen to your bald friend, Your Highness?"

Vegeta chewed and contemplated her question, then took a sip of his cappuccino.

"Nappa can take care of himself, I'm sure. He's alive, I know that much."

"What do you think, Bulma dear? Don't you think it would be nice to get out of the house? Vegeta hasn't seen all the wonderful things our planet has to offer, I'm sure he would enjoy a relaxing stroll through West City."

Bulma gnawed at a piece of bacon and shrugged, "Whatever. I'll take the murderous little toad out while I run some errands."

He opened his mouth to object, but was cut off yet again by Dr. Briefs looking at him intently.

"I think that's a **fine** idea, don't _you_, Your Highness?" He said, tapping his ashes into the ashtray, raising one wiry grey eyebrow.

He exchanged a long glare with the old man, then relented, remembering his promise with an irritated scoff.

"I doubt that there is anything to see that I haven't already seen on a _thousand_ planets before." He spat, pushing aside his empty plate, standing.

"You'd better make your little phone call, first woman. Before I give him a speaking to myself." Vegeta said, and with that he turned around briskly, and went out the front door.

Bulma looked to her mother and father questioningly, frowning.

"I don't get it, why would Vegeta care?" She said, looking towards the door. Bulma shook her head and stood, cleaning her plate off into the trash.

"I think he's just lookin' out for ya is all, sweetie. Why, he's like a knight in shining armour, protecting my baby girl..." Bunny said, and sighed, fluttering her lashes at Dr. Briefs who flushed slightly and straightened his newspaper, clearing his throat.

"I wouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth, Bulma. Vegeta is a good man." He said with a nod, and Bulma sighed.

"I suppose, if you can get past his prickly exterior." She said with a sigh, and brushed off her hands.

"First, I want you two to tell me exactly what happened yesterday. I'm not blind. I know that you all know something you're not telling me about Yamcha."


	17. Lessons Learned

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Launch takes flying lessons with Raditz, Bulma learns the truth about Yamcha, Piccolo saves Gohan, but in turn Gohan loses something precious to him. Raditz and Launch take tail training lessons, and Launch learns a valuable lesson about what not to do to a Saiyan's tail, and the strange things that Saiyans do when they are alone together

"Eeep!" The blonde-haired Launch gasped, as Raditz gathered her up in his arms as she pushed off, in mid air.

"Hang on tighter girl, or else I will drop you and you can learn how to fly like I did!" He said with irritation, struggling as Launch flailed her legs and squirmed.

"I-I'm scared of heights!" She whimpered, causing Raditz to go off kilter as she scrabbled to hang on, clinging to his shirt with her nails and kicking.

"Damn it, do you want me to carry you like a child?!" He yelled, picking her up and prying her hands off of his shirt.

She narrowed her shoulders and whined, her blonde hair whipping across her face. He exhaled sharply and pulled her body parallel to his, wrapping his tail around her firmly.

"There, now you can't see the ground, is that better?" He said, placing his hands on her back.

"Y-Yeah..." She mumbled into his chest, wrapping her arms around him hesitantly. Launch gulped, squeezing her eyes shut as they flew.

"You'll have to learn how to fly, little Launch already knew how just after her primal blood was awakened, you should be able to do the same."

"If my damn bike didn't get smashed, _Raditz_, I wouldn't have to take the hairy monkey express!" She growled into his chest, feeling the wiry hairs through his black tank top.

"You're a half-breed, you don't need a vehicle any longer. My hair is an attractive feature, **any** Saiyan female would be highly aroused by my ability to grow my hair longer than most males." He said, with an offended huff.

"Ha! Not me! You need a haircut. Tien's body was completely shaven, so smooth like velvet... _mmm_..." She said, rubbing her cheek on him, then spitting out a chest hair and sputtering. Raditz grumbled, she looked up and saw him frowning.

"To cut my hair would be shaming my breed, to be born with a full mane like mine is a great honor! Smooth skin is a sign of a whelp, any fully matured saiyan male has the ability to grow hair, some more _pure-blooded _whelps are hairless like a pre-pubescent

child!" He snarled, gripping her back tighter and bristling.

"Whoa, calm down boy, I don't care if you're a hairy monkey, I'm just sayin' some women prefer the clean-shaven look. Which you've got, there." She said, patting his cheek. He subsided his rage and nuzzled into her hand, his cheek was soft and completely hairless but for his sideburns. Launch blushed and pulled her hand away.

"Look, we're here." Raditz said, and turned his body around so that Launch was flying on top of him. She sat up and gasped at the scene before them; a lush green forest. He folded his arms behind his head and hovered in place, as Launch straddled him and looked around in amazement.

"How pretty..." She gasped, her tail wound out from her back and curled, twitching with curiosity.

"You aren't frightened anymore?" He asked gently, and she hesitated to answer.

"I don't know, it's still a long way to go..."

"I'll catch you. Like before, remember?" He said softly, Launch smiled and thought of the fond time they had spent nearly the entire day swimming and playing together, and she hadn't been scared once because she knew he would catch her.

"You're ready?"

She nodded, with a shiver.

"Ok. Let go." Raditz turned around quickly, and she dropped, screaming as her body rocketed down to the earth, flailing her legs and flapping her arms uselessly.

_"Radiiiiitz!!!!" _She screamed, angrily, feeling her anger pulse out and surround her as she at last found her ki. He landed just below her in the event that it didn't kick in, but was pleasantly surprised as she floated in mid air, turning around carefully and marveling at her newfound ability.

"I... I did it! Raditz, _I did it!" _Launch said happily, and shot up until the air like a bullet.

"Whoo hoo! This is freaking _awesome!"_ She yelled excitedly, and he followed her quickly with another hard burst that crackled through the atmosphere.

"Yeah! Haha! I'm flyin'!" Launch screamed, until she came above the clouds and hung in mid air, looking around excitedly. Raditz came up slowly through the clouds and looked at her with a smile.

"Alright, that's enough now. " He said, and began reaching to gather her in his arms.

"No! I don't wanna ride with you! I can fly now!" She said, and whipped around and shot off above the clouds.

"Launch!" Raditz followed, growling.

"Get back here, now, before you--"

Suddenly, the sky rocketing past her was a blur, and Launch slowly became dizzy as she lost her balance and fell. She was caught swiftly not a moment later, as Raditz found her and cradled her in his arms and descended down to the Earth at a careful speed. Launch blinked wearily, feeling her stomach turning as she looked down at the ground.

"You must be more careful with your speed, letting out a large burst of ki like that is only utilized during battle. The altitude in which you were flying is too much for one who isn't used to the thinning air...Launch?" He asked, prodding her cheek with a finger.

"I don't... I don't feel so good..." She murmured, and turned, retching into the empty air. Raditz held her out and sighed, having expected it, he waited until she was done.

"Let's get you on solid ground." He said, and carried her until they reached soil at last and he set her down in the grass by a river. The sky spun around her as she laid on her side whimpering, moving limply as Raditz knelt beside her and poured water over her mouth from a cupped hand. She drank and rested her eyes as he wiped her cheek gently.

"You did very well, Launch. I'm proud of you, not all saiyans even learn to fly, let alone a half-breed. You must have been the child of a powerful saiyan."

She opened her eyes and sat up gingerly, wiping her mouth with the back of her arm. She looked down at the ground, and for the first time he noticed that she seemed sad.

"I didn't even know I was... I've never met my parents..." She said softly, and looked up to him with a gleam of a tear in her eye. Raditz's expression softened and he stroked her shoulder.

"I'm sorry to have be the one to tell you this, but both our races are long gone... My home Planet, Vegeta was destroyed 25 years ago... The Planets Neptune and Mars, where your Gemini parent would have originated from; were brought to extinction 23 years ago... I am so sorry, Launch." He said, and pulled her into an embrace. She rested her chin on his shoulder and closed her eyes.

"That's ok... I never had a family, I didn't hope that I would now. I don't care." She said and pulled back, folding her arms across her body and lowering her head. Raditz reached and touched her arm, stroking it with his thumb. He felt his throat almost closing with some unreleased emotion as he watched her, he swallowed.

"Neither did I. That is the way we have to shield ourselves from weakness. To not care, is to... not feel pain." He said, and almost choked on his words. Launch lifted her eyes to him and her lip quivered, feeling her heart thrashing in her chest with the opened wound.

"You understand, then; how it feels to be abandoned...?" She asked, her voice shaking. He nodded subtly, his dark eyes glistening. Launch fell into his arms and sobbed, and he wrapped them around her and lowered his face to kiss her head as she sobbed, grieving for her loss until her cries were hoarse and heart wrenching. He waited until they subsided to speak, then cleared his throat nervously as he looked down into her shimmering emerald eyes.

"Launch... I don't want you to be alone any longer... Please, I'll no longer ask you to be my mate; not after you have lost your own so recently. But do not run from me anymore. I just want to protect you, and her from those that would harm you..." He said softly, stroking his hand down her back and running her small tail through his fingers, feeling the soft fur gliding across his calloused hand. The small tail curled and wrapped tightly around his fist as her tears quelled, and she nodded into his chest.

"Ok... I won't go anywhere, Raditz. I just wanna be here with you." She whispered, and he smiled as he pulled her back to him. "That is how I feel as well, Launch. I no longer wish to see the stars, nor scour the planets for a despicable lord... I've found my home here. My desire for life at last. " He said softly as he cradled her cheeks in his hands, then pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead and closed his eyes as tears of his long awaited release fell down his cheeks.

"...and that's how you ended up in the care of Vegeta, he insisted on taking you out of the medical wing, Bulma. He then stood guard over you all night, even though he was injured."

Dr. Briefs finished, watching as his daughter's large eyes brimmed with tears. He had told her absolutely everything, besides the solemn oath of secrecy between him and Vegeta to help cure her of her hemophobia.

"Really...? That's why I was in his room?" She lowered her eyes and let her tears drop, Bunny handed her a tissue and she blotted her eyes.

"It's his code of honor, Bulma. Vegeta really does intend to protect you; for whatever reason he has chosen you as his ward. You understand then, that it's best to keep away from Yamcha." He said gently, petting Scratch's back. Bulma nodded, swallowing down her cries. Her father stood, brushing off his lab coat.

"Now, I hate to leave on such a sour note, but I really must be going next door to the laboratory for the day."

"That's ok, daddy. I'll see you when you get home. Thank you for everything..." Bulma said with a soft smile, wiping her cheek.

"Perhaps you should save a little of that gratitude for Vegeta, I have a feeling his introverted personality is in direct response to a lifetime of being emotionally repressed. Some kindness could do the boy a world of good." With that, he gave Bunny a kiss on the cheek and took his to-go cup of cappuccino with him, off to the Capsule Corporations laboratory for the day.

Bunny waved him off, smiling. Bulma sat still a moment longer, staring down at the table and biting her lip.

"Do you really think what daddy said is true? Did Yamcha really...rape me?" Bulma's lip quivered, and her mother's azure eyes opened to look into hers sadly.

"I'm sorry, dear... I'm not sure that was his intention, but I saw it for myself, he took advantage of you at your weakest time... _my poor, sweet baby!"_ She said, her voice cracking.

Bulma rested her head on her mother's shoulder and they both began to sob, talking between gasps of breath.

"I just... don't know what happened to Yamcha... he wasn't like this at all when I met him! He was so shy, so _kind! _He could barely even speak to a girl, let alone--" She cut off her own words with a shaking sob.

"I know, sweetie... But people change, sometimes people grow apart is all... a beautiful, smart girl like you deserves only the best!" Bunny said, and held Bulma as she cried, not noticing the dark figure in the background hanging his head as he heard their cries, his face in a hardened mask of concealed pain.

Vegeta turned away briskly and went back outside to continue doing his katas, before he couldn't take the sounds of their sobs anymore. He stormed out, punching the tree he had been taking his anger out on so hard that the bark shattered and a round chunk of wood blew out, settling back onto itself in a clean cut.

He was tempted to find the bastard that hurt her himself and rip his heart out of his chest with his bare hands, but he knew somehow that Bulma would disapprove; although in his mind, it was the most logical thing to do. His primal blood whispered to him to present his potential mate with the severed heart of her former lover in order to gain her affections.

There was a tiny grumble as he felt a wet nose nudging him, then Gohan woke with a start as he felt long teeth sliding over his midsection.

"What's going on...?" He mumbled, rubbing his eyes as sunlight hit his face. He felt a strange shaking sensation as the ground began to fly past him, and yelled out in fear. r"Whoa! Hey!"

The Sabertooth tiger carried him in her jaws as she ran, bounding over large rocks and landing heavily on the ground, Gohan struggled to get free, squirming around in her loose jaws that cradled him carefully.

"Where are you taking me?! I can walk, miss tiger!" He yelled frantically, grabbing around her snout and unknowingly covering her eyes. The tiger growled in question; losing its vision and running head first into a tree. They hit with a jarring slam, making the tree vibrate with the sheer force that hit into it.

Gohan whimpered as he pulled at her jaws and kicked, as the tiger had fallen unconscious.

"_Help! Somebody, help!" _He cried out, breathing in and out frantically.

Suddenly, there was a flash of green and a bright beam of light. Gohan fell from the tiger's jaws easily, covered in blood. He looked around himself fearfully, at the blood dripping off his tattered clothes, then at the severed jaw of the tiger. There was another blast as a thin beam shot through the base of her skull and put her down quickly. Piccolo lowered his finger and picked up the boy, shaking him roughly.

"You weakling! You would allow yourself to be eaten?!" He growled, showing Gohan his long jagged teeth.

"Mr. Piccolo! You k-killed her!" Gohan cried out, and slapped and kicked him in the face in anger. Piccolo slapped the small boy and stunned him, and Gohan's cheek slowly became red and swollen.

"Of course I killed it, just as you should have!! Are you _completely inept,_ boy?!" He roared, showing Gohan the purple interior of his mouth lined with sharp teeth. Gohan flinched back and started to cry, in fear of him.

"Y-You're just a big m-meanie! You killed my daddy and Uncle Raditz!" Gohan bawled, flailing around angrily and trying to release himself from the large man's grip.

"I did what I had to! If I did not do what your father wished, your "Uncle" likely would have killed your father and myself, and taken you away to be bartered for on an alien planet! _Would you _**_enjoy_**_ that, boy? A life of slavery?!"_ He bellowed back, shaking Gohan by his bloody yellow gi that was in tatters.

"N-No! But that didn't mean you had to kill the nice mommy tiger! What about her kittens! They'll starve now!" He cried, large wet tears rained down his face, snot came out in a giant bubble and nearly popped on Piccolo's face. He tossed him to the ground and scoffed, wiping his cheek with disgust.

"They're just beasts, they'll turn on you, you know. Just as that one did, I'm sure she was ready to eat you at any moment." Piccolo sneered, crossing his pink muscles over one another.

"She wouldn't! She fed me, and her teeth didn't even hurt me when she picked me up! Why do you have to be so evil!" He yelled back, standing and balling up his little fists.

"I was born evil, child. My full intent after I ready you for battle is to destroy this pathetic planet!" He roared back, tearing off his white cloak and allowing his ki to rise to the surface, showing his power to prove his superiority to the child to make him back down and learn his place.

_"I can't let you do that, Mr. Piccolo! My daddy didn't die so that a bad person like you could destroy our home!"_ Gohan screamed, and Piccolo's eyes widened as the little boy growled, and his own ki burst out around him; his entire body shaking.

_"I'll make you regret what you did, you're a _**_bad_** **_person_**_!" _He screamed, and plowed headfirst into Piccolo's stomach, sending him unexpectedly onto his back, coughing as the child's hard head knocked the wind out of him.

Piccolo growled and started to get up, now fully enraged and ready to attack, but was met with a flurry of wild blows that were unrefined; yet powerful, blasting him with little fists in his face and chest until Piccolo's head hit the ground. He got his feet up under him in preparation to pounce up and attack, but was completely caught off guard when Gohan grabbed both antennae in his fists and pulled.

Piccolo screamed in pain, grabbing the little boy's body around the waist and squeezing him desperately to try and stop him from pulling his sensitive antennae right off. He bellowed in agony, tears forming in the corners of his eyes.

"Apologize! Right now, Mr. Piccolo! Say you're sorry for killing her!" Gohan screamed, pulling harder.

_"Never! _I'll never apologize for saving your life, fool!" He bellowed back, grabbing Gohan around the waist with one hand and wrapping his tail around his fist with the other, and pulling. Gohan winced in pain but was unrelenting in his anger.

"Say you're sorry, or I'll RIP these _right off!"_ Gohan yelled, as the thin green antennae were stretched nearly to tearing.

"I could do the same to this tail, boy! Let go or **else**!" Piccolo growled, tears spilling down his cheeks as the pulling sensation spread to the very cortex of his brain, where the signals from the antennae were sent.

"SAY SORRY!" Gohan screamed, so high pitched it made Piccolo's ears ring.

"Fine! I was wrong for killing the damn thing! Now, LET. GO!!!"

At last Gohan loosed his hands, and the antennas drooped, crinkled and tender. Piccolo let him go and felt his antennas carefully, making sure that they were still attached.

"Foolish child! Never touch my antennae again, they aren't just for decoration!" He snapped, sitting up and pushing Gohan off of himself.

Gohan scrambled away, turning and reaching around to his rear.

"Where's my-my-my tail!!!" He cried out, running in a circle then falling down; knocked off balance by the loss of the furry appendage. Piccolo gulped and looked down at his lap where a brown, furry tail was curled up, the end bloody.

"Uhhh..."

"Is that... is that it!? Piccolo! You ripped my tail off! _Waaahhhh!!!" _Gohan cried out, picking up the tail and attempting to reattach it to his back, with no luck.

"Now what am I going to do!?" He whimpered, looking at the tail and cradling it to his chest.

"Drop that filthy thing, boy. You don't need it. It's too late now." Piccolo grunted, spitting a small wad of purple blood onto the ground.

"No! I'll never forgive you for this! How could you, Piccolo!" Gohan cried, and to Piccolo's disgust actually put the filthy disembodied appendage into his mouth and sucked on it.

He tore it away, throwing it to the ground and stepping on it with one orange boot.

"Hey!" Gohan scrambled, trying to pull it free.

"That's enough, brat! You can live just fine without a tail, your father got by just fine!" He snarled, towering over him.

"B-But Uncle Raditz has a tail! He said it's a Saiyan's power! He's going to be mad at you for what you did!" Gohan said snottily, crossing his arms and huffing.

"Oh, please! Your precious Uncle was rendered entirely to a puddle of tears when Goku pulled on his tail! Do you wish to succumb to that same weakness, boy?!" He growled, crossing his own arms over his lightly bruised chest.

Gohan looked at the ground and kicked at the dirt, sniffling.

"I s'pose not... It's just, I liked having a tail." He said softly, wiping one eye.

"Well, perhaps it will grow back. Stranger things have happened. Now, help me dig a hole." Piccolo said and began walking away.

"Why are we digging a hole, Mr. Piccolo?" Gohan asked curiously, blinking the tears from his eyes and following.

"You don't want your friend to be eaten by buzzards, correct?" He asked sharply, motioning to the large birds circling over overhead.

"N-No..." Gohan responded, sadly.

"Alright then, get busy." Piccolo said flatly, and began to dig in the soil with his long nails.

"Um...o-okay... I guess that would be a nice thing to do for her, huh?" Gohan said as he began to dig as well.

Piccolo only grunted in response, tossing dirt out of the hole.

"Thank you for doing this for my kitty friend..." Gohan said, cautiously.

"It's better for the environment that the maggots don't fester here and cause a rancid odor." Piccolo said simply with a grimace, and Gohan frowned, gulping.

They finished digging the hole and carefully dragged the tiger into her burial spot, covering her with dirt and concealing the remaining blood with dirt so that the buzzards wouldn't be attracted. They stood over the grave a moment, Gohan sniffled and patted the dirt.

"Thank you for being such a nice kitty, and a good mommy. Don't worry, we'll take good care of your babies." He said, and tugged on Piccolo's purple pantleg. Piccolo looked down and scowled.

"Say something nice! _You_ killed her, after all." Gohan pouted. Piccolo furrowed his hairless brows together, "Something nice...?" He muttered.

"Yes. You have to!" Gohan frowned.

"Okay, _uhhh_... Thank you for not eating Gohan. You were a powerful animal. That was unfortunately killed by a misunderstanding." He said quickly, and turned around.

"Wait! What about my tail?!" Gohan yanked on his pantleg harder, incessantly tugging. Piccolo rolled his eyes. They had buried the tail as well.

"You're kidding, right?" He said flatly, looking down at Gohan with one brow ridge raised. Gohan shook his head stubbornly.

"Fine... I'm sorry for accidentally pulling you off... Gohan's tail." He said, spitting on the ground after saying such ridiculous words.

"See! See! You _can_ be nice! It's not that hard!" Gohan said joyfully, and Piccolo grunted back at him, shrugging his hand off his pantleg. Piccolo put his white cloak and turban back on, then stared at the flat plane of the wasteland, not speaking for a long moment.

"Umm... what do we do now, Mr. Piccolo?" Gohan asked.

"What direction did you come from?" He asked, looking at him from over his shoulder.

"Errr... I think that way!" He said, pointing. Piccolo nodded.

"What do... Sabertooth cubs eat?"

"Oh! Raw meat! I think deer." Gohan answered enthusiastically.

Piccolo nodded, then began to run. Gohan stood still a moment, hesitantly, then started to follow, keeping in time with Piccolo's swift movements.

"Wh-wh-why are we running?" Gohan asked, breathlessly.

"To catch a deer." Piccolo growled, and jumped away.

"Oh! Okay!" Gohan responded happily, getting on all fours and running even faster.

Goku licked his lips excitedly as his eyes roved over the beautiful sight before him, drool ran down his chin as he inhaled the sweet scent, reaching his groping hands out in preparation for the delightfully sinful act he was about to commit.

"And you're saying, this is _all mine? _I get to have it all!?" He asked, his eyes bulging as he gulped excitedly.

"Yess.. It's all for you, Goku, my sweet man...take what you desire." Princess Snake said, softly hissing.

"Ok, well, don't mind if I do!" He said, and immediately began tearing into his food, not caring what it was or what it looked like, he was starving!

"Uh-- er, that was the egg of a nearly extinct bird you just ate-- that there is the liver of a deadly nether dragon-- oh, my..." Princess Snake put one hand to her mouth and had to divert her eyes as he devoured the carefully prepared, expensive feast that hours of hard work had gone into in just a few minutes, and very messily, at that.

_Ugh, he could certainly use some lessons in proper table manners... Oh well, that won't matter after tonight, once that Spanish Fly kicks in..._

Princess Snake giggled aloud, crossing her legs to hold back her excited arousal at just the idea of finally having Goku all to herself. He gulped loudly, licking the last plate before him clean.

"Um, I'm still hungry... Are you going to eat that?" He asked, pointing to the roasted boar's head before her.

"Oh, go ahead. Make some more food for Goku would you...? With extra of that... 'special seasoning'?" She ordered to the servant girls, and they ran out of the room excitedly. Princess Snake eyed Goku carefully as he finished off the boar's head, setting down the skull with a large burp. She covered her nose and flinched back, disgusted.

"Excuse me. Hehe! That was good!" He exclaimed, licking his lips and holding his fork at the ready in his fist.

"I'm glad you liked it, Goku... how do you feel? Any different?" She said in a lusty voice, winking at him. He paused and seemed to be deep in thought.

"Hmm... I feel pretty much the same." He said with a shrug. "Still hungry though!" He said, with a chuckle.

"Don't worry, more food is on the way..." She sighed, putting her chin in her hands and staring at him with lustful eyes.

"Are you ok, Miss Snake? You won't try anything bad again, right?" He said warily, recognizing her expression.

She shook her head and pouted, then looked hopefully as more food was brought in. "Oh great! Here's the second course!" She exclaimed, getting up and grabbing a dish of food, she ran over and started enthusiastically scooping it into his mouth, giggling. Goku gulped down the food with no complaints, although it was sort of odd to be fed, and he could feed himself much faster than she could. She sat on his lap as she fed him, wriggling around as he finished off the bowl of rice.

"Um-- I can feed myself, Miss--" He stuttered, before a large chunk of food was shoved in his mouth.

"The way to a man's heart is through his stomach, isn't that what they say?" She giggled, wriggling more on his lap as she stuffed his cheeks with steak. Goku chewed with a puzzled expression, tasting something slightly odd in the food. She shoved huge spoonfuls of potatoes in his mouth, now sitting on his lap with her legs around his waist as he ate, not caring even as potatoes fell onto her naked teal green chest.

"Oopsie, I made a little mess on my chest.." She said with a suggestive tone, and moved it closer to his face. Goku moved his face away, grimacing.

"Err... I'm not supposed to eat things after they fall, last time I did that I got a mouthful of dirt." He said with a nervous chuckle.

"Nonsense, my chest isn't dirty!" She huffed, putting her hands on her hips.

"Well, actually it is. That's why they call them dirty pillows. The only ones I put my mouth on are Chi-Chi's, and that was because there was milk coming out and I was hungry..." He said, licking his lips.

She growled, "Chi-Chi this, Chi-Chi that! Look, I can do the same damn thing!" She exclaimed, and used her magic to make milk come out and wet her dress. Goku frowned, then picked her up and dropped her on the floor unceremoniously.

"I'm sorry, I just don't think that's a good idea either. Milk is only meant for babies, I got in trouble last time for drinking Gohan's milk " He said with a shrug, and returned to eating the feast, happy he could now eat faster without her in the way. Princess Snake growled aloud, wiping mashed potatoes and milk off herself angrily.

"I'll show you, Goku! Once you're done eating, come out back to the hot springs!" She said, and stormed off.

He raised one eyebrow and nodded, before shoving more food in his mouth.

_What's her deal? Ugh, I better finish this food, I don't want to be rude but it tastes kinda bad. It'll be nice to take a quick soak, but then I'm off. I've spent _ ** _way_ ** _ too much time here._

There was a high pitched yelp as Launch felt a nibble on the tip of her tail, as her and Raditz dipped their tails into the water. She pulled her tail out quickly, cheering happily as a small fish flapped around at the end.

"Yeah! I got one! See that, I got a fish before you even did, Raditz!" She bragged, waggling the fish in front of his face. He snorted, standing and lifting his tail with a grunt. A gigantic fish came out of the water, thrashing around on his tail. He turned and punched it, killing it on impact. He tossed the fish over his shoulder and smirked at her.

"Now, do you think you can catch one this size or do we have to share?" He asked, walking over and plopping it on the ground.

"Why would we need two? I'll probably only be able to eat this little guy." She said, holding up her little guppy proudly. Raditz raised one brow and shrugged.

"Sure.. If you say so. Next task is building the fire, unless you don't mind raw meat." He said, crossing his arms.

_"Yuck! No way!_ It's gotta be cooked!" She spat, then wagged her tail in wait of the next task.

"Ok, then. Gather up some small sticks with your tail." He said, and she nodded, trotting off into the woods. Raditz knelt and began gutting and skinning the fish, smiling as he did.

Awhile later, Launch came back with a small bundle of sticks and plopped them down.

"There! That was easy." She bragged. "Hmm. Need a lot more than that. Bigger ones too. Here, let me help." He said, and patted on her rear, making her jump ahead of him.

Raditz took a fallen log and wrapped his tail around it, breaking it into segments as he did. Launch looked on, gaping with surprise. "Go on, you try breaking a twig." He chuckled, curling his tail to his back.

Launch looked down and moved her tail around clumsily, finding a twig and snapping it with the tip of her tail.

"Yeah! I did it!" She said, and jumped up and down. Raditz diverted his eyes as her breasts bounced around in her pink tank top, clearing his throat.

"Uh, ok. Let's try a bigger one now."

Launch bent down in her cut-off denim shorts, and he had to look away again, growling to himself with frustration.

"How's this one?" She said, holding up a good sized stick.

"That's good. You keep gathering and breaking sticks, I should go back and keep an eye on the fish." He said, picking up two more logs under his arms and walking away. Launch tilted her head and wondered for a moment what had made him act like he was bothered, but shrugged it off, snapping the sticks quickly then bundling them under her tail.

She came back to where he was putting together a large spit, skillfully splitting the logs with a chop of his hand then arranging them in a teepee shape beneath where the fish was already hung up. She came over and dropped her twigs, turning and brushing the dirt off her tail and shuddering.

"Why does my tail feel funny sometimes?" She asked, lowering it and twitching it curiously. Raditz was silent a moment, she watched as his moved around just barely, curling up in a ball at the end.

"Hmm... It's a very..._sensitive_ thing." He simply said, and picked up the little sticks and placed them in the gaps. Launch frowned at his veiled answer, walking over and wrapping her hands around his tail. He paused mid movement, with a soft grunt. Launch moved her hands down the bristly fur that was slightly dirty, combing out the dirt by raking her fingernails through the fur. His entire tail shivered and he made a shaky sigh.

"Launch, I wouldn't..."

"Or else _what?"_ She asked, teasing. She felt incredibly naughty as she took both hands and wrapped them around it, then stroked the fur back and forth. She blushed when she realized what that motion reminded her of.

He turned around quickly and removed his tail from her grip, his face was red as he wrapped it around his waist.

"Do not do that, ever again, girl." He spat out quickly, then looked away and pointed one finger at the pile of sticks and lit it ablaze, the sparks flew up almost too enthusiastically as if he accidentally put too much power in the blast. Launch tilted her head and frowned, feeling her tail going between her legs. She followed behind him as he stormed away, reaching and tugging on his hair gently, making him turn back around quickly. He glared at her from under his brow, his cheeks still slightly reddened.

"You're mad at me...? Why?" She asked, feeling incredibly upset by his expression, she lowered her head. He exhaled, making an annoyed whine like he sometimes did.

"You can't do that to a man, not unless you intend on continuing to... nevermind." He said, shaking his head. Launch examined his frustrated expression and how his arms tensed stiffly at his sides with his fists clenched, his tail lashing and hitting the ground.

"I'm sorry, I was just curious... but why can't you tell me the truth? If I'm a Saiyan now, I should know what it means!" She said, stepping forward and gently touching his arm. Raditz exhaled through his nostrils again and looked at her from his peripheral.

"If you can't figure out what you were doing to me, than you're lying to yourself. You know _exactly_ what a motion like that does to a man, Launch! Don't mess around like that. We're here for tail training." He said, and walked briskly away, going to turn the spit.

Launch sat down on a rock, putting her chin in her hands and watching as he kept turning the spit slowly, feeling embarrassed. She'd never seen Raditz act that way before, normally he was _very_ open about his desires. She twitched her tail around and looked down at it again, stroking the fur like she had done many times that day. She wrapped her hand around her tail and did the same type of motion, then felt confused when it didn't have the same effect on her tail.

She let go of her tail and looked back at him and sighed, watching absentmindedly as his large arms flexed smoothly as they twirled around the spit, a thin sheen of perspiration building on his skin. She sighed and let her eyes rest on his face, as he knelt and poked at the fire with a stick and the light of the fire lit his eyes up with a grayish hue. She hadn't realized his eyes were dark gray, normally they always looked cold and black. His profile was sharp angled, his nose was arched and pointed down sharply, his lips were thin yet full, his jawline was sharp as well but his face was so soft... She froze in place as his eyes darted to look at her, and he smirked, sensing that she had been staring at him for a moment too long. Launch turned away, gulping.

Her tail quivered nervously, so she wrapped it around her waist like he had shown her to hide its movements. She didn't want him to be able to read her mind like that so easily, a tail was pretty much an open book of emotions.

She saw him stand up and brush one hand back from his brow, wiping away the perspiration then combing through his hair with one hand. He then moved the other hand and began grooming himself, licking his hand and wiping it across his brow. She giggled as he did so, finding the motion incredibly feline.

He turned and narrowed his eyes at her, pausing his grooming. He snorted, then crossed his arms over his chest, watching her from the corner of his eye as she returned to playing with her tail. She frowned as she fiddled with it, twisting her mouth around in confusion. Raditz sighed, then walked over and knelt before her. She jumped, quivering at his sudden proximity.

He took her small tail between his fingers carefully and coiled it into a circle. He held it there and looked up at her with an uncertain expression. He moved his tail foreward and her heart raced as he touched her tail with his, pushing his through the circular coil then wrapping it around and shifting it just slightly. Launch gasped as she felt the sensation, once he saw she understood, he pulled his out quickly and wrapped it around his waist.

"T-There." He cleared his throat, and looked away from her quickly.

"Now you have your answer. Don't ask again." He said sharply, and retreated back to the spit and took the fish off, setting it aside and squatting to remove a chunk of flesh.

Launch took a moment to regain her breath, and stood shakily, her legs feeling like rubber. Now, she understood. _I won't do that to him again for sure, now that I know how good it feels, just like..._ She gulped, shaking her head. _They're just tails, they're not... for _**_sex_**_, are they?!_

Launch squeezed her eyes shut and blushed, feeling like a total idiot.

"Aren't you going to eat?" He asked, offering her a piece of white, flaky flesh.

"Yeah.." She said, taking the fish. She darted her eyes away and bit into the fish, finding it was good, she ate it more quickly than she normally did.

"Um...I hope I haven't overstepped my bounds, Launch..." Raditz said, looking away and blushing as he tore another piece of fish off.

"I-It's ok, I should have known better, I guess. I'm sorry." She frowned, lowering her food. Raditz's cheeks paled and he gave her a small, familiar smirk.

"You learned your lesson, didn't you?"

She snorted at that, and playfully slapped his arm.

"I always hafta' learn the hard way, I'm just stubborn like that!" She said with a self-deprecating laugh. Raditz chuckled, handing her another piece of fish.

"Don't feel bad, you're not the only one. I can't tell you how many hard lessons I had to learn as a child, with Nappa always yanking my tail." He chuckled, "If I wasn't nearly getting eaten, eviscerated, or killed, I was going right into the the belly of the beast at all times, I suppose my curiosity got the best of me many a time. But that's ok, sometimes that's the only way we learn." He said softly, and Launch smiled, feeling relieved.

"I can't tell ya how many times I nearly got shot when I was just a young street rat, pickin' pockets and stealing food, I got thrown into jail overnight more than once by the sheriff where I was from. I eventually had'ta leave town when they got too wise to me. I hitchhiked and rode the trains until I made it out this way, holding up banks and robbin' trains for a livin'. I was a wanted bandit before I met Goku and Krillin. They saved me from a life in prison."

Raditz nodded, chewing thoughtfully as he peeled away pieces of flesh.

"You were a criminal?"

"I suppose you could say that." She laughed, feeling slightly ashamed.

"That's fitting. You're a bad girl." He rumbled, and she shivered at his words, feeling her cheeks grow hot. His eyes met hers and glared straight through her.

"D-Don't say that, ya' _c-cavem__an!"_ She sputtered, scooting back on the log as he scooted closer to her. He sat beside her and picked her up, stroking his hands down her back and grinning.

"Stay still, naughty girl. I'm not doing anything wrong... just examining you..." He chuckled, "I can't do anything too foul with you, you'll punish me if I do something wrong, won't you?" He said, and his eyes glittered down at her playfully. She nodded, "Yeah, you better not! Little Launch is watchin', I bet she'd give you a whipping for that!" She teased, and elicited a growl from him. His eyes lit up at her words and he tilted his head, lowering his face to just barely run his nose across her collarbone.

"Hmm." He mused, sniffed again.

"That's interesting." Launch pushed his head away, giving him a weird look.

"Don't sniff me, weirdo! What am I, an air freshener?" She said accusingly, then her curiously got to her. She leaned foreward and carefully sniffed his chest, pausing when she caught an odd smell.

"Whew! What is that, a cologne you have on? It's strong!" She said, backing away. Raditz didn't answer, he pulled her closer and sniffed her throat, then sighed.

"Mmm... that's...good." He said, and panted, his hot breath on her neck.

"So, y-you think I smell good, right?" She asked, pulling his head back and feeling odd for asking the question of him.

"Yes." He responded, licking his lips.

"Why do you smell like... like booze or something? Have you been drinking?"

He chuckled, leaning back and resting on his hands on the grass.

"Booze? You mean alcohol?"

She nodded. "You smell like my favorite kind of rum! Cinnamon Twist. That's good stuff, _Whew-whee_! Is it strong, though. Hehe!" She said, shrugging. He seemed pleased with her answer, and laid down until she fell onto him, giggling. He smelled her hair, chuckling into her golden locks.

"You smell like, oh what do they call it? French Toast! My favorite! With the maple syrup too." He said, and Launch sat up and swatted at his chest playfully.

"You're crazy, I don't smell like that, goofball!" She blushed, feeling embarrassed. He shook his head, closing his eyes as he sighed.

"You do, I could spend the rest of my life smelling that and never get tired of it." He turned his head and opened his eyes, and Launch leaned over and stroked his hair back from his brow, combing her fingers through it.

"I guess I don't mind yours either, it's better than B.O., that's for sure. How is it you don't stink?" She teased, tugging on a small chunk of hair. His eyebrows quirked up and he cleared his throat.

"Well, I probably do. I forgot to put on that deodorant stuff, or whatever you call it. Maybe you just can't smell it because you're a s-saiyan female." He said, blushing.

"That doesn't make sense! You're crazy. I bet if I sniff your armpit right now, I'll barf it smells so bad!" She said, and pulled on his arm. He held his arm down, chuckling nervously.

"Please, don't do that! I'm sure it smells _really bad_, Launch!" He said, pulling back. She managed to get his arm up and lifted it, gulping. He flinched and squeezed his eyes shut. She knelt over and sniffed carefully. Then sniffed again.

"Odd." She said, licking her lips. He looked at her, flustered. Launch turned her eyes on him and her green eyes darkened just slightly.

"You smell _even better _there..." She said huskily, and he gave her a shocked look of disbelief; skidding on his rear in the grass as she eyed him hungrily.

"That's ridiculous! You must be mad!" He said, crossing his arms tightly and looking adorably bashful. Launch crawled back to him, then gripped him by the hair. She leaned in and bit his neck gently, then licked the spot. He shivered, pulling her away from him in mid air.

"Bad girl! That's _very, _**_very_**_ bad_, Launch!" He said, and she giggled at the way his voice cracked. She softened in his grip and slinked out, standing and curling her tail around in the air, until it looped around his throat.

"Exactly, that was my intent, cutie." She said slyly, gently tightening it.

Raditz panted; his eyes becoming glazed over with lust.

"You're a wild little female, if I ever did meet one." He gulped. She pulled him forward with her tail and rose her arm, curiously. "Tell me, what do you smell?" She said, and pulled his face into her arm. He groaned, pulling back.

"It smells... very good. That's enough now, Launch. Before you get yourself in trouble. " He said, then turned his face and quickly nipped her tail. She yelped as it fluffed up, effectively shocking her system. Launch shook her head, feeling silly all the sudden. Raditz got to his feet and brushed the dirt off his pants, breathing heavily.

"L-Let's find some other things to do.." He said, and Launch nodded quickly, darting her eyes away.

_Jeez, that was a close one...what the hell got into me all the sudden!?_ She thought, blinking in disbelief at what she had done and said.

_Did I really... sniff his armpit!? This bein' a saiyan stuff is just too freaking _ ** _weird!_ **


	18. Desire For Only Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bulma takes Vegeta on a trip, Yamcha learns the news of his friend's terrible fate, Piccolo and Kami communicate with the mars guardian, Vegeta and Bulma share a moment of passion, Launch and Raditz move to the next stage in their relationship

"In" She ordered, pointing at the yellow contraption hovering over the ground. Vegeta shifted his feet, narrowing his eyes. "How can I be sure that this Earthling technology won't explode on impact like that terribly made contraption from before..?" He asked cautiously, poking at the tire with one finger. There was a loud sputter, then a flatulent sound as the air escaped rapidly through the tire and the hover car drooped in the air.

"Shit!" He hissed, and hurriedly stuffed his finger in the hole.

"Vegeta... what was that noise?" Bulma questioned warningly, making a shiver go down his spine.

"Nothing, uh, seems this hunk of junk needs repairs before we can take it out." He said, pulling his finger out, and the hover car plummeted onto it's back end.

"What the- how did it get a flat tire!?" She yelled, and he backed away as if he had nothing to do with it.

"Ugh! You're helping me change it, now!" She spat, opening the trunk and taking out a box of tools and another tire.

"Can't we just fly there?" He muttered, crossing his arms.

"I'm wearing a dress, Vegeta! Everyone will know what panties I have on!" She exclaimed, and he retracted his statement at the terrible thought.

"Now, hand me that socket wrench." She said, and he looked down at the open tool box, puzzled. "The round, spinny thing." She said, exasperated. He found the desired tool and handed it to her.

"Thank you. You'd be wise to watch me do this, you never know when you'll need to change a tire on the fly one day." She grunted, cranking off the bolts.

"I'll never drive one of these shoddy things, I'd look ridiculous!" He exclaimed, holding up the end of the car.

"Oh right, you'd need a license for that. I doubt you could get one with that attitude." She scoffed, pulling off another bolt. Vegeta growled, "I'll have you know I manned many a ship in my time, I know how to control a vehicle just fine!" He remarked, becoming frustrated.

"Right! Ones that _crash-landed! _You can't crash-land with a car, Vegeta. You could kill someone!" She shouted, bonking him on the head with the wrench. He rubbed his head and growled, it didn't hurt but it wasn't very polite of her.

"So what if another Earthling dies, there's so goddamned many of them!"

"Murder isn't looked upon kindly on this planet, if you kill someone on my watch, you can forget about having any more cappuccinos!" She teased, knowing how much he had enjoyed them.

"B-But! That's not fair!"

"Life's not fair, mister, now do me a favor and pull this off, carefully. Without bending it." She said, and he assisted her in removing the tire and attaching the other.

"Here, you do the honors. I really shouldn't be doing this in what I have on." She said, holding her black greasy hands out in front of her. Vegeta got to work on finishing the job as she fished out a rag and wiped her hands clean. He checked to see that the tire was on correctly and smiled when the hover car raised back into its correct alignment.

"Yay! Let's go!" Bulma said, and ushered him into the passenger's side. He slid into the car's comfortable seat and watched as the door closed on its own and the seatbelt slid and attached over his shoulder. He grunted in approval, crossing his arms.

Bulma fiddled with the buttons until a burst of cool air came out and she sighed, pulling her damp dress away from her skin and allowing the air conditioning to cool her off. He gulped, diverting his eyes as she placed her hands on the wheel and began to drive.

"Where should we go first, hmmm.." Bulma said to herself, softly humming as they came down the street. Vegeta watched out the window at the various store fronts, and Earthlings milling all about, grimacing.

"I think I know what would peak your interest. I have a few errands to run at the college, if you don't mind." He shook his head no, not really sure what a college was but vaguely interested in whatever it was. She turned and headed down towards a busy area, where a large building was towering in the sky, even larger than her house, he marvelled.

"Yes, it's very nice, isn't it? The Institute for Mechanical Engineering. The entire building is unique in that it is capable of transporting itself and alternating its own structure; kinda like a rubik's cube. This school is very prestigious; only the very gifted and talented people go here. It's not cheap, either. But Capsule Corporation owns it; so of course I went for free." She said with a giggle, and Vegeta had to snap his own mouth closed.

She pulled into the sectioned off parking space with a placard reading Bulma Briefs on it and the car locked with a chirp as she pressed the key fob. He watched, feeling oddly intrigued as a short servant bot approached her and took a print of her finger.

"Welcome, Ms. Briefs. Are you here on business, or leisure?"

"Leisure. I'm showing a friend around." The robot beeped, opening up the tray before him.

"Please press your index finger into the tray." He hesitated, then did so when she nodded to him. It scanned it with a blue light, then retracted it and burbled.

"Unfamiliar life form. _Beep_. Finger print indistinguishable." Bulma sighed, agitated and turned the robot around, quickly typing into its small memory drive. She closed it and it rebooted.

"Welcome, Prince Vegeta. Native Of Planet Vegeta. Race: Saiyan. Age: 28. Sex: Male. Accompanying Ms. Briefs today?" He gulped, feeling slightly apprehensive of the robot.

Bulma nodded again and he answered. "Affirmative."

"Splendid. Please help yourself to our refreshments in the lobby, fresh coffee and doughnuts will be provided." It said with a cheerful beep, and Vegeta nodded curtly to the robot.

"You have my gratitude." He said with a small smile.

Bulma laughed, "It doesn't really understand us, Vegeta. It's programmed to respond to a specific set of commands." She patted him on the arm, taking him by the elbow and walking him to the front door. The doors opened and he looked around curiously, sniffing.

"Oh, go on and get your coffee. I'll be back in just a minute." She said, pointing towards the lobby. He walked over and found the refreshments, pouring himself a cup of coffee and taking a doughnut after sniffing it suspiciously, resolving that it was indeed edible. He sat and made himself comfortable in one of the lounge chairs, watching the many people milling about as he sipped his coffee. He'd finished it by the time she returned, holding a clear bag of dark blue, silky material in her arms.

"What's that?" He said, as they walked to their next destination.

"This is my cap and gown. I have to wear it when I graduate. I've got my Bachelor's in Science, _with_ honors." She said, coyly smiling as he took the bag and examined the fabric.

"I'm not sure I understand."

"Well, I've been going here for four years. Training to become an engineer, and now that I've passed all my classes, it's time for me to move on and find a job in my area of expertise."

"So, there are four stages of training- and you have achieved the highest ranking? To which you will be rewarded?" He asked, his dark eyebrows raising as he felt the silky fabric of the gown and marvelled at it. Bulma giggled, "Yes, I guess that's one way to put it."

"An Elite... impressive." He said, and smiled. "I'm an Elite as well, but I was born into the position. I'm a First-Class Saiyan, of royal blood so it's to be expected. I suppose the same could be said for you, in Earthling's terms." He said, and she held her head a bit higher and grinned.

"But of course, why as a matter of fact; you could daresay... I'm it's Queen." She said and giggled, turning into a room and setting her bag down on a desk, with her own name plate. Vegeta stood behind her and crossed his arms, considering her words with a surprising amount of approval.

When she walked into the room, many Earthlings came forwards to greet her, trailing at her heels with clipboards in their hands as they asked her many questions to which she replied quickly, walking over to a large round object and stepping inside.

"Vegeta? You coming?" She called to him, and he came over, quickly avoiding the lab technicians and their annoying questions. He looked up at the large sphere and furrowed his brows.

"What the hell is this? A spaceship?"

"Right! But that's not all~ ..Come on in." She said sweetly, and offered him her hand. They stepped inside and he looked around at the metal sphere. Bulma walked over to the control panel and checked to see that it was stable. She turned and pointed to an X on the floor.

"Would you please stand there, Vegeta?" He moved and stood over it, as she erected a barrier around herself and pressed a button. The air around him suddenly shifted, and he recognized the change in gravity that he was well accustomed to during space travel.

"Hn." He mused, moving one hand to test its strength.

"How does it feel?" She asked, observing him.

"You'll have to increase the gravity to have any effect on me." He said, smirking.

"It only goes up to 100gs. That's just for experimentation. Human beings can't even withstand half of that, Vegeta. Any higher than 90gs could splinter a person's bones. And that's wishful thinking."

"Well, I'm not a human being. Turn it up to 100." He said, feeling intrigued.

Bulma shrugged, then cranked up the gravity, watching as the air around him became more dense as small sparks of light floated through the air. He lifted his arms and stretched them out, feeling the tension and enjoying it. Vegeta punched the air a few times, grinning. Bulma gasped as he jumped and propelled off the ceiling, then did a few quick vertical laps around the circumference.

He landed, panting a little and started doing pushups. Bulma looked down, feeling her cheeks grow warm and started writing status updates on her clipboard, watching Vegeta for a moment then writing again.

She sat down against the control panel and waited awhile, until an hour and a half had gone by, and she was getting anxious to leave. Vegeta was still exercising, she almost felt bad for turning down the gravity after seeing the rare happy smile on his face. She brought down the gravity barrier and stepped out as he sat up from doing crunches, looking around with slight disappointment.

"Is that it?" He said, frowning.

"Oh, Vegeta. We can't stay all day." She smiled and patted his shoulder, then retracted her hand when realizing how sweaty it was.

"Come on, there's showers down by the gymnasium." She said, waving him on. He left the gravity chamber, a little reluctantly.

"Ms. Briefs, are you alright? The gravity reading said it was set to 100! We were ready to enact auto shut down protocol if necessary-" One of the male technicians squeaked, hurrying over to her and placing one pasty, weak hand on her arm. Vegeta growled from behind her almost on cue, and the scrawny boy pulled back, wide-eyed.

"Oh... is this another one of your foreign friends? Like the bodybuilder from before..?" He said with a frown.

"Uh, yeah... Listen, we need the machine to go up higher than 100. Please try to get it to 150 if you can, by tomorrow." She said, and brushed off the boy, handing him her clipboard and retrieving her bags, ignoring his appalled cries of disbelief.

Vegeta laughed from behind her as they exited the lab, at the way she'd simply turned tail and disregarded the inferior male.

"That was just _delightful_, I'm very pleased with your artificial gravity machine! I assume you built it, and not that _weakling_ back there." Vegeta purred, stretching out his arms and folding them behind his head. He got a gaggle of giggling girl's attention as his arms involuntarily flexed, causing Bulma to turn sharply and narrow her eyes at them. Vegeta watched the scene curiously, as the other females all immediately looked away after and hurried off, whispering excitedly amongst themselves.

He lowered his arms and watched her intently as she continued walking; with a huff of indignation.

"Really! How **dare** they, how do they know you aren't my husband!? They should be _expelled_ for such juvenile behavior!" She spat, stomping her heels as he watched in pure awe, speechless by her show of dominance over the other females.

"How _vulgar_ of them!" Vegeta agreed, nodding as she grabbed his bicep firmly and pulled him harder.

"Very! Why, If I weren't in such a prestigious position, I'd-I'd fucking _bitchslap_ those little whores!" She growled, like a little wildcat and Vegeta felt his heart rate increase, fresh perspiration budding on his brow.

"Y-You'd have no reason not to!" He said, breathless.

Bulma turned around and he stopped walking with a small stumble, gulping as she stared him down. Her blue eyes were piercing with anger, as they followed an unsuspecting female student walking down the hallway. He jumped a little as she placed her hands on his chest and growled.

"_Just go with with it, now!" _She whispered sharply, and kissed him, planting a slew of fervent cherry flavored kisses full on his lips, moaning loudly to get the other girl's attention. He shakingly placed his arms around her and returned her affections, a bit shyly. Bulma pulled back, her chest heaving dramatically.

"Oh, Vegeta, my love!"

"W-Woman, what are-" He stuttered nervously, then she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him again before he could finish; sucking his bottom lip and pressing her tongue into his mouth passionately. He held her tighter and groaned, as she was beckoning deep, primal urges in him to come forth.

Vegeta kissed her back with need; tasting her, stroking his quivering hands down her backside. He squeezed her full bottom in his hands and growled, grinding his hips with hers; as his growing arousal demanded for him to claim her.

"Oh my gosh!" The girl gasped, then took out her phone and took a picture. Vegeta froze stiff at the flash of light and pulled back immediately; darting behind a pillar and glancing back frantically, as he was still regaining his breath.

Bulma paused, realizing she was kissing the empty air where he had dissipated from in an instant.

"What the hell-Vegeta, what's gotten into you?!" Bulma walked over and put her hands on her hips, cocking her head.

"_Now you've gone and done it, **Woman!** My likeness will be all across the galaxy in mere seconds! Now my enemies will know our location!" _He said in a harsh whisper, pulling her behind the pole with him.

"What?! It's just a phone, silly, it's not capable of doing all that! But I'll bet she got an eyeful!" She hushed, with a soft giggle.

"Why did we have to publicly display our indecent activity to the other female?!" He snapped back, his cheeks still faint pink.

Bulma rolled her eyes, "All it takes is for one girl to see what happened, within 15 minutes every girl on campus is going to get a copy of that photo, and they'll know to back off! After what you did, they'll **definitely** think we're screwing! Good acting, Vegeta!" She said with a devilish giggle, grinning ear to ear.

"You mean...this was all a mindless little game to you? Simply to _send a message_?" He said, frowning.

"Well, yeah...? You didn't plan on dating a college freshman, did you?" She said, raising one eyebrow. Vegeta looked down at the floor and swallowed the rising feeling in his throat down hard; walking past her briskly.

"Vegeta- I didn't mean to-"

"You've done more than enough, Woman." He said, and went to go find the showers.

Bulma felt the air escaping from her like a deflating ballon, slumping her shoulders. She plopped into a chair, feeling surprisingly hot and flustered. She fanned her face with her hand and sighed.

"Well, I guess he didn't appreciate that very much..." Bulma put her hand to her cheek and felt the heat of it.

"I can't believe I actually did that! Oh kami, the poor guy must have thought I really meant it!" She said with sympathy, and covered her face shamefully.

"What am I going to do? He'll never forgive me!" She cried out hopelessly, and shook her head, trying to think of how she could mend his broken trust.

* * *

When the former desert bandit at last opened his eyes, it was because Puar had snuck in through the window to check on him and had accidentally knocked over a beer bottle and broken it.

"Shoot!" he hushed, and tried to brush up the broken bits of glass with his tail.

"Whu- What's going on? Puar? Is that you?" He asked groggily, sitting up in bed and scratching his messy mane of shaggy black hair. The little cat flew up and looked at him with large sorrowful eyes as he nodded, crawling towards him on the bed so that he could pet his back.

"I feel like it's been ages since I've seen you, is everything ok? Oolong didn't kick you out, did he?" He said softly, scratching behind his ear. Puar sat up and frowned at the state of his apartment, and the terrible smell of it, like stale cigarettes and old garbage.

"I- I'm alright, uh... what about you..?"

He lowered his head and sighed.

"Not great... I really messed things up bad, didn't I?" He said, downcast, and clenched his fist into a ball. Puar crawled over and sat on his shoulder as he got out of bed, brushing crumbs of food off himself as he walked into the kitchen for a drink and noticed the flashing light of his answering machine.

"Oh, that's probably Fancy calling to bitch at me... I told her I needed some space." He said, and pressed the button.

_Three unheard messages._ It announced, then beeped, "_Hey Yamcha, it's Krillin! Can you come out to Tien's place if you get the chance!? Some heavy stuff is going on with him and Raditz, and we could **really** use your help! I miss you man, I hope you know that you're like a brother to me, I really gotta get going though-_

_Beep. Next unheard Message:_

_Hi, umm... It's Bulma... this is really not the best way to do this, but... I know what you did Yamcha. I know about the other woman, and about how you took advantage of me when I was doped up on Valium. I am **through** with you. **It's over.**_

_Don't you **dare** show your face around here again. I hope you're **happy** with yourself._

_Beep. Last Message:_

_Eheh... hey bud, I hate to be the bearer of bad news but there was a tragic accident last night... Raditz and Tien got into it.. and Tien didn't make it. Neither did Chiaoutzu or Krillin... I'm sorry to say this over the answering machine, I tried to call last night but you must have been asleep. I guess I'll see ya around...? Beep._

Yamcha backed away from the machine and stumbled and fell into a chair, his face paling as the terrible news hit him all at once. He couldn't even begin to start to explain how he was feeling. The intense, overwhelming feeling of shock overcame him and his eyes rolled back into his head, fainting. Puar jumped up and shook him, crying out frantically,

_"Yamcha! Yamcha!"_ He yelled, then went flying out the door and into the street to call for help.

* * *

Goku sighed heavily as his body relaxed in the comfortable heat of the hot springs; feeling his aching muscles unwinding, he closed his eyes and sunk in deeper until only a spike of hair stuck up and tiny bubbles surfaced.

_Man, this feels **good**! Even better than Bulma's fancy jacuzzi..._

He opened his eyes underwater and looked around, in the slightly pinkish water he could make out the bottom of the hot springs. He squinted his eyes and peered closer, seeing the faint gleam of white on the bottom, then swum closer and realized that what he was seeing were_ bones_, not only human bones but also ogre, demon, of all kinds and sizes.

_Well, that's weird. How did they get down here? Couldn't handle the heat?_

Goku popped his head out of the water and took a deep breath of air, then wondered to himself if it were possible that he'd just imagined such a crazy thing.

_Princess Snake wouldn't... hurt people, **would she?**_

He raked one hand through his spiky hair that was sagging slightly, scrubbing his scalp and humming as he cleaned himself up a bit.

"Oh, _Gokuuuu~" _A familiar voice came into his earshot, but not quite as he remembered it. He lifted one eyebrow and was silent as the other person entered the water.

"Mmm, that's nice! _Ahh..._" The Chi-Chi impersonator sighed, but she wasn't very good at it. Goku turned his back to her and chewed at his bottom lip as he contemplated on what to do.

"Goku, dear? Why won't you look at me? Don't you miss me at all?" She asked, pouting. He crossed his arms and refused to budge.

"Princess Snake, I've had enough of your little games. I won't fall for it again, the first time was a foolish mistake and I'm hoping Chi-Chi can even _forgive **that**_. But making the same mistake a second time would look really bad on me, and I'm just not that kind of guy. So please, just leave me to bathe in peace." He said, and nodded curtly.

"Whatever are you talking about my darling husband? Really, I mean you died and practically went to heaven in this lovely palace! And now, your beautiful wife is here to comfort you in the bath and you refuse to even look at her!?" She said with a small sob, and Goku faultered for just a second; on the off chance it really _was_ her, he turned around and his eyes nearly bulged out of his head, before he held back his surprise and crossed his arms stubbornly.

Princess Snake giggled, coming forward In her human guise and flaunting her skillful replication of the human woman. She ran her hands down her pale, curvy body; her wet black hair spread out and covered her generous breasts just barely.

Goku gulped, looking her over as she came closer, he backed away slowly. She grabbed him by the arm and tried to pull him closer, slinking over and pressing herself to him.

"Listen, uh... I wouldn't want to hurt your feelings if you really are Chi-Chi... So, I'm going to ask you a question and you have to answer honestly. If you're actually Princess Snake, you couldn't possibly know this." He said, his voice shaking as she ran her hand up and down the ridges of his abs and attempted to go further before he took her wrist and held it firmly.

"If you're Chi-Chi, tell me what our son's name was going to be before we decided on Gohan."

She snorted, rolling her eyes.

"What a silly question! _Of course _I know what I was going to name our baby!" She laughed, a bit nervously and put one finger to her chin.

"Uhm... Just a moment, I _definitely_ remember. I just want to be sure I remember the right one, because there were _so many_ options..."

Goku nodded, smiling.

"I'll give you a minute, that's true, Ox King had a _whole list _of names!" He said, and chuckled.

"Ok... Can I get 3 chances? Pretty please..?" She asked sweetly, batting her eyelashes. Her dark eyes gazed into his, pressing her chest to him and Goku blushed, "O-Okay, I guess that's only fair. But if you get them wrong, then that's it for you. No more chances." He said sternly, and held her back from himself.

She huffed, crossing her arms.

"Ok. The first one is obvious. Goku Jr.!"

He shook his head, "Nope. That's not it."

She frowned, pouting.

"Oh, I know... uhm... Gochi! That's a cute name, both our names together!" She said, hopefully, her eyes sparkling.

Goku laughed, "That's a ridiculous name, definitely not a boy's name."

Princess Snake huffed, she had to make this one count, damn it!

"Could I have a clue or two, perhaps?" She asked, squeezing her bountiful assets together again to try and sway him. His eyes darted down a moment then he sighed, slightly agitated.

"Fine. Everytime you said it, it made him cry. Plus, it was a really weird name. I couldn't even pronounce it." He said, screwing his eyebrows together.

_Chi-Chi should know the answer to this! If she doesn't get it this time, I'm going to have to assume that this is Princess Snake. As much as Chi-Chi loves Gohan, she would **never** forget something like this._

"Ok, hmm... Something hard to pronounce, eh? Made him cry..." She murmured, narrowing her eyes. She wracked her brain for the possible answer, until her head started to pound, then screamed out, "Straussenheim Von Schnitzelpoop!" Then panted, smiling.

Goku laughed at the funny name and shook his head.

"Nope, It was _Einstein_. Well, that was your last chance, Princess Snake. I'm really just wasting my time being nice at this point, so just come out and show your true form. I don't want to have to hurt you while you look like my wife." He said, then rubbed his chin with a wry grin, watching as her eyes began to slant and burn with an intense red aura.

"...Although, I have to say... her pillows are _actually_ **_bigger_** than that, and the face is _all wrong_. Her eyes aren't turned up like that, or red!" He said, snorting with a dismissive shake of his head as he walked right past her and out of the water bare-assed. Princess Snake turned and gaped at him, her mouth hung open as her eyes were assaulted by the sight of his nude body.

She blinked a few times, dumbfounded and her skin slowly became green once again, her hair shortened and became orange. Goku had already dressed and was tying on his obi as she came up with a desperate, last-ditch plan.

"Goku, wait! I'll give you anything your heart desires! Gold, jewels, I can be whoever you desire! _Please,_ don't leave me here _all alone!"_ She cried, coming out of the water. In her distraction, she hadn't realized the water had changed her into her natural form, and her body from her chest down was smooth and scaly.

"I'm sorry, Princess Snake. Thank you for all the food, and the bath, but I really must be going. I have to go to King Kai's place now for training so that I can actually go home and see my family." He said, frowning.

Her body lengthened and all around them the sky changed to blood red as she hissed, her face became more narrow and her teeth sharpened until she was her most truest form; an enormous snake. Goku floated up in the air and dodged as she propelled her long body at him, he jumped and ran across her scaly back as she spun back around and attempted to bite him, he jumped over her head and took off flying, desperately trying to out fly the large snake with incredible speed for its size. She came up behind him and he dodged below, then clung to the tip of her tail before falling and just nearly avoided her deadly fangs once again, and before he knew it she had bitten her own tail and spit it out, hissing.

He saw this, and jumped up quickly, looking behind him as her long body snaked around wherever he went, and as he dodged and jumped around her she tied herself into a large knot, and tightened it as he flew away.

"Whew, that takes care of that! He exclaimed, and flew away as the end of Snake Way finally came into sight, and he flew over the yellow clouds, sighting a small planet in the distance.

The challenge that the God of Snake Way had presented to him was a test of his loyalty; for if he had failed, his body and soul would have been devoured. In essence, doomed to spend the rest of his immortal life in Hell.

* * *

"Achoo!" Chi-Chi sneezed, rubbing her nose. "Goodness, the amount of times I've sneezed lately is getting ridiculous, if I didn't know any better, I'd say someone is talking about me!" She exclaimed, her eyes watering as she rubbed her red nose with her wrist.

She looked up and grinned, seeing the top of the tower just in her grasp. _Finally_, she had reached the top, and now all that was left was the task of getting up there. She reached and grabbed the lip of it at last, laughing as she brought her feet up and tossed herself over the edge. She flopped onto solid ground and continued to laugh crazily, in disbelief that she had actually made it in only two days and not three.

_I **can't wait **to tell Goku this one! He'll never believe that I beat him!_

"This one's loopy from the high altitude, I think, hey lady, you alright?" a voice asked from above, twirling his whiskers.

"Help her up, won't you Yajirobe?" Korin said, walking away and folding his paws behind his back.

"Do I have to? I'm afraid she might bite... look at that crazy smile!" The stocky man said, peering down at Chi-Chi and frowning.

"Hey...wait a minute, I think I might know her from somewhere..." He said, scratching his spiky mane of black hair. Korin turned around and raised one eyebrow at the fat ronin, for once he was actually thinking quite hard.

"Hmm... Nope. I forgot." He said, and plopped down on the edge of the building, reaching into his orange kimono and fishing out a bag of potato chips.

"Oh, forgive me, for once I actually thought you had a brain in that fat head of yours." Korin sneered, and began helping Chi-Chi to her feet. She blinked dazedly, then gasped.

"I'm here! I'm actually here! Oh thank goodness!" She said happily, fishing out the dragon radar and turning it on.

"Excuse me, Miss...?" Korin tapped her as she began to follow the orange dot on the screen, curiously.

"Alright, according to this... The dragon ball should be right here!" She said, and looked around the room eagerly.

Korin nudged her harder with his wooden staff, and she finally took notice of the small, yet fat white cat.

"Oh, hello there, can you talk, kitty~kitty?" She cooed, scratching his ear. He resisted the urge to purr and cleared his throat.

"Ahem. _Of course _I can talk! Didn't anyone ever tell you why this is called Korin's Tower?" He said, slightly agitated.

"That's right, Goku said something about a Master Korin. But I don't see him anywhere, do you happen to know where your human is?"

_"I am_ Master Korin! Jeez! Did you say, Goku? That's the only explanation that would make sense for your confusion, are you a friend of his?"

Chi-Chi crossed her arms and huffed.

"I'm his wife, I'll have you know and I am not confused, I came here simply to retrieve the dragon ball and be on my way. Do you have it?"

Korin smirked, and walked around the circular room, contemplating his answer.

"Well, ya see... It's not quite as easy as just _take and go_. You climbed up here in what, 2 1/2 days? That's quite impressive. Surely you didn't come all this way just for my dragon ball." He mused, looking out the window at the fluffy yellow clouds.

Chi-Chi growled, "As a matter of fact I did come here solely for that purpose! Now cough it up, or have it beaten out of you, furball!" She snarled, balling up her fists. Korin chuckled, spinning his wooden staff and stopping it with one finger as he strolled over and looked up at the water fountain where a pitcher of water floated. On top, was the golden ball.

_"Aha!"_ She exclaimed, and jumped up to grab it, but not before Korin snatched the pitcher and hopped away deftly.

"_Missed me, missed me now ya gotta kiss me!~_" He teased, snickering as she roared with anger and chased after him as he popped all over the room skillfully; darting to and fro swiftly as Chi-Chi charged at him like a mad bull.

"There's more than one way to skin a cat!" She teased back, as she reached for his tail and tugged the end. Korin yowled, then turned back around and batted her her hand away, dropping the ball off the pitcher in the process.

His ear turned at the sound of the rolling ball, and he scattered across the floor batting at the ball wildly, hopping up into the air and kicking it with his feet playfully.

Chi-Chi chased after him, as he chased the ball, around and around in circles until she started getting dizzy. Then she turned the other way around, and Korin darted right between her legs, chuckling as he carried the ball between his teeth and hopped over her head, then stood atop of the fountain. He took it out of his mouth and polished it on his fur chest.

"You know, if you would have asked nicely, I may have just given you the ball. Given the circumstances. But, seeing as you challenged me so rudely; It's gonna be much harder for you to get this precious little ball! Nobody comes to my tower and calls me a furball, and gets off scot-free!" He said, bonking her on the head with his staff then using it to pole vault right off her head, Chi-Chi put her hands to her now frizzed up hair and screamed in rage, and began chasing Korin even faster until the two were just flashes of color, swirling around the small room.

Yajirobe peeked in the room and blinked, then held his hand his mouth and waddled away to go retch off the side of the tower.

"Man, that's way too fast for my tastes... seems like Master Korin has a quick one on his hands this time!"

* * *

Piccolo sat cross-legged atop the small burrow as Gohan fed the Sabertooth Cubs, observing the skies with a watchful eye. He growled softly as he watched the large planets slowly, ever so gradually moving to the center of the sky, where the bright sun was beating down onto the desert plain.

_What's going to happen once the two planets finally meet? It's like an eclipse, yet, there is no moon and these planets have no business being so close to the Earth. _He twitched his antennae; feeling the vibrations in the air and tightening his crossed arms around himself.

_This cannot bode well for the Earth, but what do I care of that? I am not from this pitiful planet, surely, and I would just as soon destroy it if not for this one last task I've been sworn to do._

He pulled his turban down and concealed his antennae; narrowing his eyes then closing them. He snarled, hearing that annoying voice in his head.

_Shall we consult the guardian of Ryokama?_ The voice intoned calmly.

"What guardian? Of Mars?"

_Yes. Perhaps he would know why the planets have decided to make their movement, shall we hold congress with the other world?_

"Why do you require my assistance, it's not my job to protect this pathetic planet, why don't you just leave my body already, you irritating little pest!?" He spat, standing up and looking down at his stomach as if in direct location to where his little parasite was talking from in the containment jar.

Kami chuckled softly.

_It's not time yet for me to separate from you just yet, perhaps when you can show me that you are ready to be set free on the Earth with no ill intentions; I will return to my rightful place._

"Fine! Let's hear what he has to say, if anything." He growled out, listening into the burrow and hearing Gohan's joyful laughter as he played with the kittens.

Piccolo scoffed, tuning it out.

_A child's laughter, how very precious; is it not?_

"**Shut up**! I need silence from you if you want to do this correctly." Piccolo sat back down and closed his eyes, calming until his body stilled its twitching completely and the noise around him quelled. A golden tendril reached out as he and Kami combined forces, calling to the Mars Guardian. There was a burst of red light, then a feeling of despair radiating from the other's aura.

_Who calls to me? _A voice whispered, dry and rasping.

_You have been beckoned by the Guardian of Earth, the nearest planet to your world; Ryokama. _Kami and Piccolo answered, in unison.

_You must help me! I am trapped! Please!_

The voice called back desperately, its red aura growing more fragile and frantic.

_Who has trapped you? Can you not escape?_ They responded, Piccolo furrowed his brow.

_The Gemini turned against me! I am held by a strong barrier, deep in the core of the planet! There is no spell to undo this barrier, not unless you can find the **source of its magic**! They have ensnared me to ensure that Ryokana will be at their call once deemed necessary; if it were not for my ensnarement I would have been able to keep the dragon at bay! _They screamed back, dry voice cracking.

_The Eternal Dragon? Why!? _They responded at once.

_Ryokana, he has been corrupted by my absence; the planet has become a cold, dead wasteland. The inhabitants do not sense my presence, they are savage beasts. **Please**, rescue me!" _The guardian pleaded, and Piccolo frowned again as Kami answered.

_We would aid you, if there were not a compelling reason for our call. Your planet has crossed over into our atmosphere, as has Planet Nyosana. Soon they will cross paths, and darken the skies of Earth. Is there nothing you can do to will it's path back to its rightful place?_

Kami asked, and the other Guardian cried in answer, _Unfortunately, my power is locked away with this barrier. I no longer have control over it's path. I warn you; of The Gemini. They have a **strong** and **dark** magic, **surely** they have willed this event. **Please**, find them! With their death I shall be freed!_

With that, the Guardian lost their last vestige of strength and it's voice weakened, they still sensed an aura, but the guardian no longer responded.

Piccolo cut off the connection and stood.

"There, now you have your answer."

_What will you do?_ Kami asked, and Piccolo ignored his nagging voice, hopping down and barking into the cave at Gohan, "Enough playing, brat. It's time for

your training!"

Gohan looked up from where he was cuddling with the kittens, then frowned and sat up, his yellow gi falling away in shreds as he did. The kittens had likely shredded it, as Piccolo noted by the claw marks on his chest.

"First, you're taking a bath, kid. You reek." He said, lowly, snorting out the faint scent of urine that likely had been stained into the child's clothing from fear.

"Yay! But there's no water in the desert, Mr. Piccolo..."

"Don't worry. I know where it is. Come out now, before I drag you out."

"Ok! Are you taking a bath too, Mr. Piccolo?" Gohan asked excitedly, tilting his head when he didn't answer, instead flying up into the air towards the nearest water source.

* * *

"Shoot!" Launch grumbled, as she fumbled to hold the rock up with her tail as Raditz had shown her. It plopped back into the water, and she fished around for it again.

She found the flat rock and coiled her tail around it, then pulled it out and attempted to fling the rock and skip it across the water, but instead heard a thunk as it flopped back again.

"Ugh! I can't do this, Raditz! It's too slippery!" She whined, turning back and pouting at him from where he was sitting down with his eyes closed, resting. One eyebrow twitched, but he made no movement, stubbornly waiting for her to finish the task.

"You're really a stick in the mud, man! Can't we do something more excitin'?" She asked, dropping the rock and shaking water droplets off her tail like a dog.

"Like what?" He grumbled, opening one eye. "I dunno, target practice! Yeah! Let's go get my gun!" She said, tugging on his hand. Raditz shook his head, unmoving. "No. You have no more use for that, now."

"_What!?" _She screeched, in offense at his words.

"Unh-uh I don't think so, bucko! You can't take my gun away! _That's my rig__ht!"_

She snapped, and Raditz sighed, rubbing his face with mild irritation.

His head was starting to hurt from her yelling, and it was nearing about lunchtime, which he would have to catch, again. He hated to admit it, but he had grown quite accustomed to Little Launch's doting on him.

"Hmm. Time for your nap, that's enough tail training for the day." He said, and smirked as he wriggled his tail under her nose gently, tickling it just so.

"Hey! You can't freaking do that, I'll kill ya! You fuc-_-ah-choo!"_ She sneezed, and quickly transformed to his relief. Blue-haired Launch rubbed her eyes, yawning.

"Oh, is it morning already?" She said, looking around herself curiously.

"Where are we?" She asked, looking up at Raditz as he stood.

"Just leaving, let's go home." He said, taking her hand. "I'm all dirty," She said, frowning, and brushed off her chest.

He chuckled and nuzzled her cheek, taking in the familiar warm scent of honey that she had, except now that her Saiyan blood was awakened, it was now more potent. Launch wrapped her arms around his neck and he picked her up, taking flight. She smiled, watching the forest racing past below and pressed her cheek to his chest.

"I had the silliest dream, that we were sniffing eachother's armpits! _Yuck!_ Or was that you and other Launch..?" She said, looking up at him as he gulped, his eyes shifting.

"T-That was entirely her idea. I was very hesitant to allow her to do so." He sputtered, shaking his head and blushing.

"You'd be wise to do what she says, Raditz, if you tick her off she'll fill ya' with lead!" She said a little huskily, then cleared her throat. Raditz's eyes widened as he looked down at her, and she covered her mouth and giggled.

"Goodness! We're taking a bath, I know that. It's not very ladylike to play in the dirt and sniff armpits, you know!" She said, with a haughty squeak.

"_We...? Bathe **together**?" _He said, gulping.

"Of course, silly. We're both dirty!" Launch said, closing her eyes and relaxing as they approached Kame House. He nodded his head and grinned, eager to take a bath as soon as possible as long as it was with her.

Launch floated down to the ground easily, turning and walking with her long blue tail curled up behind her back happily as she walked through the door. Master Roshi was sitting at the table almost as if in wait for their return, his head popping up eagerly.

"There you two are! Hehe, where ya been all mornin?" He asked, watching closely as they removed their shoes, even following as they walked upstairs.

"Tail training." Raditz answered, with a shrug.

"Ohh! I see, why lookit' that! _A **blue** tail!_ Ain't that somethin'!" He awed, reaching and tugging on Launch's tail.

"Eep!" She jumped, and curled it inward, cringing. Her cheeks flushed and Raditz growled at the old man, stepping in between her and him.

"It's _that_ kind of sensitive, eh? My boner! Er, I mean, my mistake!" He laughed nervously, watching as Launch walked by, fluffing her hair and saying, "_Hmph!"_

"Don't you have something to do, old man? Go play with your turtle, or read your filthy magazines." Raditz snarled, creating a wall between the room and the old man's wandering eyes.

Master Roshi frowned, watching through a crack under Raditz's arm as Launch leaned over to fill up the tub. His cheeks reddened and he nearly fell over as she bent down in her daisy dukes and tested the water temperature.

"What's wrong with you? Are you senile? I said go, before I physically remove you from my territory." He growled, bristling.

Master Roshi quivered, backing away a few steps. "Eheheh... well, I was just wonderin' if maybe Launch would scrub my back for me, uh, after yours, a'course!" He chuckled, and froze in place as Raditz took him over his shoulder and flung him out the window, and into the ocean with a splash, laughing as the old man popped his head up and started ranting.

"Hey! Why I oughta! I'll come in there, just you wait an' see! I know what goes on up there! You ain't fooling this old-" Raditz shut the window, effectively silencing Roshi's complaints.

"You didn't throw him too hard, did you?" She said, peeking out the door. He shook his head. "He'll be fine. Damn, is that bastard _determined! _When will we ever get any privacy in this house?" He grumbled, slamming the bedroom door and locking it, then peeling off his clothes.

Launch sighed, "Oh, don't worry. He'll fall asleep on the toilet after he watches his yoga videos. Just forget about him, Raditz." She said softly, smiling as he came into the bathroom and got into the tub with her. Launch floated with the water as he sat down and giggled as she landed on his lap, her pale skin flushed slightly beneath the frothy bubbles.

Raditz rested his arms on the side of the tub and grinned as she perched on him to wipe dirt off his cheek with a washcloth, kissing his nose and giggling as he coiled his tail around hers and rumbled contentedly. He pulled her closer and stroked his hands along the curves of her body, spreading the soap on her with his calloused hands and carefully scrubbing with a focused expression.

Launch giggled and dipped the washcloth in the water, swiping it over his brow and cheeks, then his throat. She gasped when he clutched her tighter, in reaction to rubbing a reddened area on his neck.

_What is this?_ Launch wondered.

She frowned and leaned down to examine the strange coloration closer. She sniffed, then experimentally licked there when she found her mouth watering from its cinnamon scent and flavor.

"Ah.. Launch.. what are you doing..?" He groaned, feeling himself growing aroused from her warm tongue lapping there, his eyes fluttered shut and she pulled back, observing him with a curious expression.

"S-Sorry, you taste good..." She said bashfully, and sat back on him, shivering when he clutched her to him and began kissing her throat, nibbling the tender area where her sweet honey scent was the strongest. Launch gripped his shoulders and gasped as he scraped his teeth there and looked to her, his obsidian eyes glassy, darkened by lust. Launch stilled her panting, feeling her entire body quivering from his touch; the intensity of his eyes as they took in each tiny movement, inspected every inch of her body hungrily.

"Uhm, Raditz, why does it make me feel funny when you bite my neck..?" She blushed, carefully touching the pink, sensitive skin.

"Because, it _craves_ to be bitten. It is how I will mark you as you my mate, Launch. _Please_." He said softly, and kissed her throat, pulling her down gently to him and sliding himself between her thighs.

"I don't know, I... I've never been with a man. But I want to be with you, I love you." She hid her face from him, feeling the blood pulsing in her cheeks.

"You... _love me?"_ He whispered, and nudged her nose with his to see his love's violet irises, ringed with black. She nodded.

"What did you mean, by those words?" He asked gently, sliding himself down in the warm water to let her rest on him, the mound of her curved bottom peeking out of the bubbles as he curled her tail with his and traced around it with the sensitive tip. She quivered, feeling the sensation travel through her body and send tingles into her where her soft body rested against his firm one, a throbbing, wet heat between them.

"It means, I care for you very much... I would never wish to be alone again as long as I was with you, Raditz. No other man can touch me like you do, or make me feel so special." She said, and moved her groin against his, desiring to soothe the ache there. She ran her hands down his abdomen, then kissed his throat where the warm spicy scent enticed her to graze with her teeth softly.

Launch sighed as he continued to caress her erogenous tail with his, gently squeezing the soft sides of her back as he shuddered with the teasing sensation that throbbed in the bundle of nerves in his swelling erection with every graze of their sensitive tails rubbing against one another, feeling the heat of his little female wetting him. He took a deep breath and steeled himself, returning his attention to her hopeful eyes wide with emotion. Speaking the truth that he had begun to know from the core of his being, that could no longer be dismissed.

"...I have cared for you since you came to me, Launch. I've felt my heart softened by your touch and it has swelled tenfold since I heard that sweet laughter in my ears. I've never known a woman such as you that has captured my eye in more ways than just one, who has made me long for her affection as I require air to breathe. I would never wish to harm you, Launch. I want to claim you as my mate as I express my love for you, _please_ don't refuse me anymore, Launch. _I love you_." He said, and kissed her lips, breathing heavily as she rested her cheek against his, panting. Her tail wrapped around his and swallowed it, he squeezed the soft flesh of her backside and moaned as she lowered her face and kissed his throat, sucking the spicy flavor from his skin and purring as her blue fur enveloped his.

Her center throbbed and ached against him as she felt anticipation growing there, as his hot flesh moved against hers. "Launch, say yes..." He moaned, arching his back out of the water and shuddering as she nibbled the hard tendon of his tensed throat. Launch unsheathed her nails and raked them down his scalp lightly, and down the hard grooves of his back.

Raditz tossed his head to the side and gasped as she bit down and sucked, tasting tendrils of blood fill her mouth as she growled into his skin, her eyes darkened to dark plum whirlpools as she swallowed the hot rush of liquid that was flaming on her tongue. She pulled back, panting and craned her head back where her throat pulsed as she swallowed his blood, the area becoming glowing red and throbbing.

Raditz pulled her down and sunk his teeth into her delicate throat tenderly, drinking the thick, sweet syrup as she cried out and moaned_, "Yes, oh **yes**, Raditz!"_

He groaned in response and lifted her hips over him and found her slick, velvety entrance with his stiff erection. He pulled her down carefully and pushed himself inside of her, quivering his hips as he felt her tighten in response, digging her nails in his back. He allowed her a moment to soften around his girth. Launch mewled softly as he pulled away from her neck and met his eyes with hers, swallowing the thick, syrupy flavored blood in his throat and speaking hoarsely with his lust.

"I'm... afraid to hurt you. Tell me, I'm not hurting you, am I?" He said, furrowing his brows as the tension between them began to soften and he sunk deeper.

_"No, you're not hurting me, Raditz...I want to be full with you..." _She whispered, and rocked her hips back on him, swallowing more of him. His eyes rolled back as he closed them and met her with a gentle thrust, his hands slid across her slick body and cupped her breasts as he sunk deeper until he filled her entirely. Launch whimpered, feeling a shooting pain up her middle that ached up into her abdomen with the sheer length and pressure she felt as her body was bearing down onto his. Raditz shushed her with his lips on hers, stroking her hardened rosy nipples with his thumbs as he opened his half lidded eyes to observe her.

Launch held his wrists and gazed into his eyes, then rose her hips and felt his skin moving in synch with hers, gliding and becoming slicker with each slow motion she made. She moaned, as Raditz deepened her shallow movements, pressing into her firmly; causing the untapped pool of desire in her belly to ache for release. She ground herself against him firmly, finally loosening the aching tension in her center, crying out as her moist heat gushed out around him.

Raditz moaned aloud, feeling her arousing scent flowing out around the base of his shaft and lubricating him. His eyes widened, taking in the erotic view of his female pleasing herself on him. He watched her with intensity; panting quickly through his nostrils. She clutched his chest and writhed her hips desperately on his, feeling her arousal growing more as she ground her sensitive bud against the hard root of him and whimpered, her mouth falling open in ecstasy.

Raditz saw that she was ready for him at last to take control, and stood; pulling her thighs apart and lifted her, pressing her against the cool tile of the wall. Launch wrapped her legs around him and cried out, as he pulled himself out fully to feel her unsheathe him, and thrusted hard up inside her, pumping his hips unrelentingly, until she bit into his neck to stifle her sobbing moans and quivered with pleasure.

Raditz growled, flexing his firm backside as he thrust into her with reckless abandon; his tail lashing wildly behind his back as he felt the new, exciting feeling of her body welcoming him to accommodate his length as her proper Saiyan mate. Now he understood why none of the alien woman satisfied him before; they were not made for him, they did not love him as she did. Launch opened for him and her anatomy allowed him to move without worry, of ever harming his precious little female.

_"Launch..."_ Raditz growled out with passion, _"**My** Launch... you are **my** woman._.._mmh.."_

_"Yes.." _Launch responded; breathlessly as she scratched down his back and moaned his name, grabbing fistfuls of his hair to lift herself and wrap her arms around his neck as he buried his face in her chest. Raditz plunged her back down to the base of his shaft and back up, kissing her tender breasts as the slickness shared between their bodies moved together sensually.

"_Oh! Ohhh, _**_Raditz!" _**Her voice was hoarse as she reached her apex and spilled her arousal around him once again; panting.

"_Raditz, I can't, oh... I can't take it... I'll melt to pieces.."_ She murmured against his hot lips, and sighed as he sunk down and took each breast and sucked and nibbled her sensitive nipples, then knelt and brushed his lips through the warm musk of her dark indigo curls, teasing her rosy flushed center with the tip of his tongue.

He spread her labia carefully with his thumbs, making her gasp as he found her clitoris with his sharp tongue, sucking it then tasting her flowing juices, and himself in her achingly hot entrance, coiling his tongue inside of her and teasing the pillowy ridges. Launch panted, gripping his hair at the roots and shuddering with pleasure.

He purred against her, flicking his tongue on her dripping pink cleft, his eyes glazing over with lust as he tasted her erotic tartness, that was mixed with the savory flavor of his musk.

"Raditz, I want to, to..._taste_ you." She sighed, and he carried her to the bed, lying her down as she crawled on her stomach and up to him. He rested his hands on the bed and moaned as she wrapped her hands around his thick shaft, webbed with engorged veins beneath his pale, arousal reddened flesh.

She licked the bead of pre-cum oozing from the narrow slit in his sensitive tip, wrapping her lips around him and stroking her hands along the velvety smooth skin. Grazing her fingernails through his dark, curly thatch of hair, cradling his groin and gently squeezing, causing his scrotum to twitch in response, squeezing out another drop on her tongue as Raditz shuddered.

_"Anh.. oh, you little...vixen!" _He grunted, in aroused disbelief of her bold, unexpected sensuality.

She flicked her tongue along the swollen ridge of his cock, lapping up the leaking fluids, then taking him deeper in her warm mouth and back out as he strained to hold back his enticed thrusts, quivering.

Raditz gripped the sheets as she sucked the essence from his precarious balance of release, and his desire to pleasure her more, he pulled back and pushed her down, nuzzling her neck as she moved languidly; like warm clay in his arms. He slid through her thighs, cupping her vulva, pressing one digit onto her clit as he mounted her from behind.

Launch arched her back and moaned, her blue locks falling to the side as he tasted the honey of their mating mark on her throat; the mingled flavor of his spice and her sweetness. He entered her again, slowly, and stroked her slick lips with his fingertips, dipping one beneath the delicate hood and rolling the small, tender knot of flesh as he let her feel him penetrating her agonizingly slow, Launch squeezed her walls around him in her pleased reaction and throbbed eagerly for him.

Launch's blue tail wrapped around his chiseled waist and met with his, then coiled like ropes as he pulled his length back, then thrust her passionately into the bed, she collided back with his hips and gasped as she felt her entire core was filled to the brim once again, as he pounded her flesh with his; their tails coiling and lashing like snakes as his scrotum slapped her clit. Launch cried out and he quivered, slowing his pace before he succumbed to the intense feelings to soon, before beginning with new enthusiasm.

Launch scratched slashes into the sheets and moaned his name over and over as he fondled her clitoris and pumped up deep inside her until her orgasm squeezed her walls tightly around his hardened shaft, further teasing him to his own climax with each throbbing clench. Raditz thrust into her as deep as possible until he hit solid flesh, then exhaled shakedly as he felt his hot arousal uncoiling from his loins, pulsing out in thick ropes with each convulsing throb of his orgasm, arching his back and squeezing her buttocks as she took it all inside her and moaned, as she felt the heat of his semen filling the pool in her womb where she ached to be full.

"_Haahh.. ah.. Launch..!"_

_" More, Raditz...yes! yes!"_

Launch pressed her backside flush to him, feeling the overflowing warmth spilling out of her and running down between them, her walls shuddered and quivered with the blinding orgasm that shook her body and shot through her thighs and curled her toes as he pressed firmly into her one last time with a grunt, as her hard clenching orgasm caused his climax to surge once again, then he relaxed, pulling her down with him and curling his arms around her waist. Raditz placed loving kisses on her back, as they remained joined, panting for breath.

Launch closed her eyes and purred with a small rumble as he lifted her into his arms and carried her to the bathtub, washing his female carefully against his chest. She smiled blissfully; her cheeks flushed and rosy as he embraced her and they remained as so until the water was drained away, and the need took them again under the warmth of the shower,

Raditz's hair slicked down his back as he carried the small woman on his cock and fucked her hard until she was sated, then to his pleased surprise she knelt and kissed his thighs, his scrotum, licked up his shaft and moved it between her breasts, catching his swollen head in her mouth as she caressed and worshipped her beloved male's body until he came between the friction of her flushed breasts and groaned helplessly with his orgasm.

She cleaned the milky fluids from him, staring up into his glassy black eyes as her lips purred around him and he could no longer withstand the ache of his lingering pleasure, he was brought to his knees, kissing her fervently, tangling his tongue with hers and sighing into her mouth hungrily; cradling her in his arms as they were lost in their own world, and reality fell away around them as their love could only be made deeper with the fulfillment of their shared desire.


	19. Men Wearing Pink? How Bizarre!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vegeta procures himself some spiffy duds, Gohan and Piccolo talk about their origins, Raditz discovers TV, as well as a new partner in crime such as Master Roshi. Puar feels upset for Yamcha. Vegeta & Bulma go out for lunch, Raditz tries to find a way to win over Blonde Launch with Roshi's questionable advice.

**Warning: More silliness is about to ensue.**

**I promise by the next chapter things will get back to normal, I'm just having too much fun writing these while I'm still figuring out where to go on the next serious note.**

* * *

Steam rolled off of the white tile from the blasting heat of every showerhead in the locker room at once. There was only a dark shadow in the dense white mist, as Vegeta leaned against the wall and closed his eyes. His wet hair hung around his shoulders, his eyes squeezed shut as he forced the memory of his earlier actions out of his mind.

_Damn that insufferable woman... She doesn't know the dangerous game she's playing at!_

He had felt the necessity to scald his foolish body into submission, he could also go the cold water route but he found the intense heat much more preferable; it unwound all the tension in his back and sloughed off the dead skin from the psycho that had burned him, revealing the soft, healed skin beneath.

_I'm losing my control, a little bit more every time... It feels as if some primordial beast inside is clawing it's way up, demanding for me to act upon these **useless** urges..._

He squeezed his eyes shut and punched the white tile of the shower room wall, creating a large hole and causing water to spray out of the broken pipe; effectively shutting off all the showers at once now that the water was redirected to one overflowing pipe. Vegeta then strolled away, snorting at the cheaply made wall's lack of strength, making the other men who had been sent packing into the locker room to wait their turn all exclaim in hushed voices.

He shook the water out of his prickly mane and slung a towel over his shoulder, looking around the eerily empty room, but for the lockers with darting eyes peeking from the slots.

"I'd advise you all to hand over your fresh garments, or pay the consequences. I _refuse_ to wear soiled clothing. I'll accept only the _best_ Earthling threads suitable for a Prince such as myself." He sneered, hearing only soft murmurs from the lockers. He walked forward and tore the door off a locker, crumpling it into a ball then throwing it into the far wall, where it made a large crater and cracked the bricks.

"Did I stutter? Show yourselves, _now!"_

He bellowed, his voice echoing all throughout the room and the large gymnasium. Within seconds, they hesitantly came out of the lockers and started rifling through their clothes frantically for something suitable for him to wear.

"I swear, he takes longer than _I do_ to take a shower! I had other plans, ya know!" Bulma muttered to herself, tapping her foot impatiently as she watched the clock on the wall, then the door to the men's lockeroom. She'd been waiting for over an hour, in which time she could have made ten laps around the entire campus instead of sitting in the dinky little chair that made her butt cheeks go numb.

_Why should I even wait for that jerk? I should have just left before, you know, now that I think of it, he's just a rotten little **pervert! **That's all, **that's** why he was disappointed that the kiss was just for show, sure, I enjoyed it too but he reacted like a horny teenager! Sheesh, grinding his crotch on me and groping my ass like that, now everyone's going to think I'm easy!_

She rolled her eyes, covering her reddened cheeks with her hands, then fishing a compact out of her purse to powder her cheeks and add a fresh layer of cherry flavored lip gloss.

_I_ _mean, it is nice to feel sexy again... He absolutely **eats me up** with his eyes... So much even my mom catches on, but who am I kidding, if she's not trying to catch a glimpse of his warty little package, she's jumping poor old dad's bones..._

"Blech! Ugh, gag me with a spoon and ram a cork up my ass!" She spat in disgust at the disturbing image, shaking it out of her head, then combing her fingers through her hair.

"Is that some _demented __fantasy_ of yours, Woman? I can think of a more **effective** way to disgorge your stomach contents, but that would be pleasing only _myself."_

A familiar voice said coldly as she turned her head and snapped the mirror shut, the scathing remark she had ready, completely lost on his sudden change in appearance before her. She blanked out for a second as her eyes were almost drawn to rove over him, but she resisted the temptation.

"Fuck you!" Bulma growled, then turned her face away and crossed her arms, ignoring him.

"No thanks, I don't mate with inferior species. Besides, shouldn't **I** be the one disregarding _your_ presence? It's too bad I have to watch over the _precious_ little princess, for fear she'll fall off her high horse! _Gods forbid _her blue brain-matter will spill out, and ruin my nice shoes!" He spat callously, with a snide chuckle. Vegeta then crossed his ankles, flaunting his newly acquired black and white wingtip shoes.

Bulma stood and balled her fists up, meeting his dark coal eyes and quickly snarling back at him, "**_Shut up!_** It's my mistake for thinking you'd _ever_ become a Prince again, because since the moment you first kissed my hand, you've been nothing but a _filthy, rotten **toad**!"_ She snapped back, watching as he recoiled at her words, his eyes widening at the idea of her dismissing his royal standing. Tears threatened to collect in the corners of her eyes as she felt a shooting pain in her chest, as she took her spite out on him. Perhaps it was too far, but she didn't care. She was emotionally fragile and trying to hold herself all together, and at that moment, screaming at him was _extremely cathartic._

"That's right, you have a lot to learn about how to treat a lady, Vegeta! You can't just expect me to bend over backwards and swoon over you, like all the _millions_ of women you've probably been with! That cocky tough guy act doesn't work on me!" She said, crossing her arms, smirking at his slack jawed expression.

Vegeta growled and stiffened where he stood; his eye twitching uncontrollably as he resisted to blast the loud-mouthed little female into outer space.

"You're absolutely incorrect in your observations. That's all I have to say on the matter." He said lowly, surprising her with his collected tone as he thrust his hands into the pockets of his crisp, tan chino pants and strolled past her. Bulma's eyes followed him with curiosity, travelling over his broad back, admiring how the pressed collar of his black and pastel pink bowling shirt exposed the caramel skin of the nape of his neck and made his warm complexion seem _even more rich._ Vegeta turned, eyeing her suspiciously from his peripheral.

"Are you coming, or what? I need to get out of this stifling place." He said, with a irritated snort. Bulma hung her head and gripped one arm with the other, digging her nails into the soft flesh.

"...I'm sorry for what I did. I don't know, I guess I just didn't want them looking at you like that... it's my fault for misleading you in that way." She said quietly, and shivered. He was silent a moment, then sighed. He wrapped his warm palm around her wrist and removed her nails from her own arm. She felt her skin tingle as Vegeta was running his fingertips gently over the small crescent shapes, checking her for injury. Bulma was too ashamed to look up as he rested the other hand on her back, and gently moved her to walk beside him, taking a long breath as they made their way out of the building.

"I'll have you know, I don't appreciate being called a _toad_, Woman. Regarding our...indecent actions, if it keeps the other females away, then that's **fine** by me. I've got ample stress dealing with you as it is. I don't need some _brainless whores_ sniffing around as well. Let's move on from this foolishness." He said, so quickly and quietly that only she heard. Bulma giggled, feeling the weight fall off of her shoulders.

"Oh Vegeta, don't get your hopes up, I don't want to contract your space scabies! That was even more insufferable for me, having to be humiliated _all throughout the **galaxy** _by our_ 'indecent exposure!' _Now everyone thinks I'm having sex with a pint-sized monkey with an ego larger than his caffeine-induced princely prick!"

Vegeta covered her mouth halfway through the sentence as he hissed with embarrassment, shoving her out of the building and darting behind a tree.

"Vegeta, what now?!"

"Gods, don't say such _vile things_, Woman! Weren't you ever given classes on etiquette!?" He whispered sharply, earning them odd glances from the various students walking around the campus.

Bulma giggled, "Nope! But I can be as classy as they come for the right price! I have to say, those are some spiffy duds you've got on! What poor, height-challenged guido did you strip naked?" She chuckled, stroking one finger teasingly down his smooth chest that was exposed by a busted button. Vegeta's skin prickled as she was casually examining the gold horn necklace he was wearing.

"These were exchanged for the lives of some filthy Earthling men, and from what I've seen, they are severely _lacking_ in certain areas. I hope you're not planning on entertaining any of those insufficiently endowed whelps." He spat, his lip curling back with disgust.

Bulma looked up to him, puzzled as she'd been so googly-eyed by the sight of his open shirt, she had missed the boasting middle part of his sentence.

"What are you _talking about, _Vegeta?! I'm just glad that you didn't kill anyone, making a fair trade is much better than murdering to get what you want, I'm proud of you!" She said, and kissed him on the cheek as a reward.

"I could have easily slaughtered them all, but that would have dirtied my outfit."

Vegeta said with a haughty snort, rubbing the kiss off his cheek violently. Bulma laughed at his remark.

"...That's the best you could find? It's pink!" She giggled, the apples of her cheeks flushing a much prettier shade of pink than his shirt ever could.

"This is all they had that fit." He snapped, he quite liked his outfit. The stripes apparently made him seem taller, according to the brown-nosing weasels that had dressed him. The pink was an odd choice, but they'd informed him that men _wore_ pink on this planet, and that wearing pink only made you _more _masculine because you weren't afraid to.

_**Men** in pink? How **bizarre**! _He thought, then shook his head. Bulma liked the outfit well enough... and they sort of _matched_. He didn't know whether or not he approved of this, but perhaps it would only further repel those other female insects away, as it gave an illusion that they were some type of odd _pair_...?

"Our piss-painted carriage awaits. Let's leave this wretched place before I blow it up." He then turned and walked to the yellow car, with her happily skipping in tow.

"I'm thinking Italian for lunch, what about you? Seeing as you fit the bill, they might mistake you for the mob boss and give us our food for free!" She cackled, unlocking the car.

"I'll eat whatever, Italian, Arlian, Shikkan, Parmessian, Namekian; I don't fucking care I'm starving!"

"Me too! Ohhh, good idea, Vegeta! Chicken parmesan sounds _amazing!"_

Vegeta raised one eyebrow at her and looked at her as if her brain wasn't screwed in all the way, then relented to question whether or not she had _actually_ ever eaten alien meat. He was growing bemused by the blue-haired women's sharp wit, that nearly matched his; she perhaps didn't grasp his true meanings, but she would learn quickly enough.

Vegeta smirked and closed his eyes, silently listening to her excited chatter, as Bulma's enthusiasm for life had slowly began to return, with the awakening of her intellectual needs sparked by her and Vegeta's pleasantly challenging relationship; although, their fiery passion hadn't nearly even begun to spark.

* * *

The sight before him was unlike any bathtub he had been in before, as Gohan happily stripped the last remnants of his shredded gi off and ran to the shore of the isolated spring. The mountain top was chilly, ice melt from the very top fed into the deep hot spring and created billowing clouds of steam.

"Wowiee! This is pretty!" Gohan cheered, looking back to Piccolo, who stood with his back to him.

"I can just hop in, right?" He asked, cocking his head. Piccolo nodded subtly, unmoving. Gohan shifted his feet and twiddled his thumbs, his heart rate increasing. Piccolo sensed the fluctuations in his ki, then looked at him with a puzzled expression.

"What?" He inquired.

Gohan's eyes darted a little, toward the water, then back to Piccolo.

"You don't think... um... There would be _monsters_ in the water..?" He whispered, as if they would burst out just from hearing him.

"What!?" Piccolo sputtered, turning around fully, lifting one brow ridge incredulously.

"_Monsters!? _...In a _hot spring?!" _He almost bellowed, but kept his tone level, in dealing with the fool's child he should have expected as such.

"Well... yeah... daddy and me always took baths together, an' one time we were swimming in the river and a monster bit my tail! But then daddy killed it and we ate it for lunch!" Gohan said, grinning enthusiastically.

"You mean to say my _father and **I**. _Speak properly, boy. The monster you speak of was most likely just a fish. There are **no** fish in this hot spring." He said, with a dismissive shake of his head.

"Okay... will you come with me, Mr. Piccolo? Just so I'm not alone.. ?" Gohan said, with a trembling voice.

Piccolo sighed heavily, shaking his head. He was after all covered in blood and dirt.

"...Fine. But only because I need one as well. You'd be wise to keep your eyes to yourself, brat. You don't need an education on my anatomy." He growled, untying his blue obi and letting his pants drop. His anatomy wasn't too much different from a human male's, he noticed, but as far as he knew, had no use for such vestigial parts besides liquid elimination.

Gohan ran off into the water, happily cheering. Piccolo followed, tossing his gi onto the bank then wading in with his arms crossed.

He'd been kind enough to show the boy his own personal bathing spring, and let him bathe his filthy little body in it. The area where he liked to drink from was at the very top though, where it was ice cold. There was no chance of contamination from here, so he figured it would be fine. He waded in after the child until water was up to his chest, then sat against a rock. Gohan's head popped up and he spit water out of his mouth like a fountain, then shook his head of shaggy hair like a dog. Piccolo guarded his face from the splatter and growled lowly in warning.

He got the child's attention, to his displeasure.

Gohan's large black eyes took in his form, mainly the pink and green skin, and the ribbed texture of it.

"Why are you green?" He asked bluntly, tilting his head. Piccolo exhaled sharply, closing his eyes.

"I could ask you likewise; why are you pale and hairy? Why did you have a tail?"

Gohan balked at the answer, blinking. Then he remembered, "Oh yeah! Because I'm a Saiyan! Well, half-breed..."

"Exactly. Alien. As am I." He answered, and extended one hand to dip a small square of cloth in the water and clean the back of his neck with it.

"But what _kind?_ Don,'t you know the name?"

Piccolo paused, frowning.

"It doesn't matter, I was born on Earth. For whatever reason my ancestors intended on my being here."

Gohan considered this, scratching behind one ear then ducking in the water until he was at eye level with it.

"But what about your mommy and daddy? Don't you want to know where you came from?" He said, through the bubbles.

Piccolo turned his back to him, then there was a splash as he quickly began washing himself.

"Mr. Piccolo...?"

"Start bathing, brat. You're filthy. You shouldn't presume to ask so many bold questions. I don't ask you where _you_ came from." He grumbled, beginning to regret giving into the child's curiosity.

"Oh! I know! I came from my mommy's belly! My daddy planted his seed in her garden and I sprouted up!"

"What!? Spare me the details! Your species is _disgusting_." Piccolo glared back, his eyes bulging. Gohan only giggled; naively.

"Why don't you have a Lady-Piccolo? And baby Piccolo's? " Gohan asked, and then shivered at the reaction that _this_ question brought on. Piccolo bared his teeth at him and clutched the child's skull with his large hand, dunking his head in the water and pulling him back out.

_"JUST. **TAKE**. A. **BATH**!"_

Gohan giggled even harder as Piccolo scrubbed him roughly with the cloth like a dirty dish, snarling all the while.

"You're just like my mommy!" He laughed, remembering how his mommy would scrub him when she got mad at him for splashing water on her. Maybe Mr. Piccolo wasn't so mean after all.

* * *

"Heheh! Yeah! Show me those moves, baby!" Master Roshi cackled, squatting down in front of the TV set as his favorite aerobics show was on, with his favorite model that wore an extremely thin pink leotard. Master Roshi got on his side and moved his leg up and down in time with the work out, huffing and drooling all at once. Launch giggled, walking over and dusting around the TV with a feather duster in her French maid costume.

"Do 'ya wanna join me today, Launch? Ya missed the last few, don't wanna get outta shape! I still have your workout costume!" Roshi said from under his rear as he did the leg stretches and stared out at the TV.

"No thank you, Master Roshi. I'm quite tired today from all the tail training Raditz and I did." She said with a sigh, then fanned her face with the feather duster.

"Heheh! Sure,_ 'tail training!'" _He said with a snort, trying to get a peek of her blue tail as she leaned to dust off the entertainment center. Her long blue tail lifted up the layers of lace and black silk to reveal her white garter stockings.

"Eheheh!" Roshi cackled, feeling sweat dripping down his back.

"Don't forget the V-VCR, there, my dear!"

"Oh! That's right, I almost forgot." She said with a sweet giggle, and bent down, not before hearing a garbled squawk coming from the old man as Raditz lifted him by the collar of his shirt and turned him around.

"Just what do you think you're doing, old man...?" He said with a low growl.

"Eh- I er, uh, er, I was trying to watch my show but she got in the way!" Roshi stuttered, shivering. Raditz looked to the TV and squinted at it, raising one brow in question.

"What are those women doing? Are they trapped...?" He said, setting down Roshi and walking over to knock on the glass.

Launch giggled, "Look, Raditz! This is a Television! You can watch people all around the world through this little screen!" She said sweetly, and turned the knob for him.

"Oh! What amusement!" He awed, leaning and staring at the screen as she changed channels for him.

"What do you want to watch?" She asked, giggling at his interested gaze.

"Hey! My show's on! He can wait his turn!" Roshi grumbled, coming over and brushing himself off as he sat on the couch.

"Oh, nonsense, I'm sure there's something you can both enjoy." She said softly, and stopped it on the wrestling channel.

"Earthlings know how to grapple? Interesting!" Raditz said with a grin, and sat on the couch and watched intently, his eyes following as the men threw each other back and forth across the ring.

"There now, you two relax and behave while I make lunch, ok?" She said, walking over and kissing Raditz's cheek. His eyes didn't leave the TV as blood finally splattered, and he pounded his fist on the small coffee table.

_"Kill him!_ Yes, _murder_ eachother puny humans!" He cackled, thoroughly enjoying the show. Master Roshi crossed his arms and sighed.

"This ain't real fightin'! Martial Arts is real fighting!" He huffed, diverting his gaze from the tempting action on the screen.

"Would you look at _that! _He hit him with a _chair! _Break his bones! Yes! Haha!" Raditz leaned back in the chair and relaxed, watching the show as Master Roshi moved one eye to the screen.

"Hey! It's that one female wrestler! Amazonia!" He said, fresh drool coming down his chin.

"Ugh! She looks like a full-blooded Saiyan female, all that muscle on a woman is unappealing!" Raditz frowned, shaking his head.

"Just you wait! She's got a vendetta against Miss Nancy! They're about to go at it!"

Raditz's eyes widened and he shivered as the woman came out in black ass-less chaps and cracked a whip, her blonde curly hair coming out of her black cowboy hat. He quivered, reminded of blonde Launch.

"I'll punish ya good, watch out! Bad Gal Nancy is here an' I'm fancyin' ta _wrangle up some cattle!"_

Raditz paled as the blonde cracked her whip and captured the Amazon, making him flinch. He twiddled his thumbs nervously as he watched, suddenly captivated as the women started getting into a cat fight, slapping eachother and brutally throwing eachother to the mat.

"Ain't she just a lil fox! Hehe! I wouldn't mind bein' roped by her!" Roshi said, in a randy voice and licked his lips.

Raditz shook his head, as if revolted.

"How very unladylike of them!" He snorted, turning his face away.

"Oh! There's Man of the Apes! Amazonia is his woman, but she's havin' an affair with Miss Nancy's boyfriend! He's about to give them a poundin!" Roshi said excitedly, and Raditz returned his gaze to the screen as a large man came out hooting and hollering, pounding on his chest and grunting like a primate. Raditz grunted back, crossing his arms and narrowing his eyes.

"He's not a Saiyan! He's just a puny Earthling! We don't act like that!" He growled again, baring his teeth as Bad Gal Nancy roped him in and planted a kiss on his cheek, making Amazonia start screaming with rage. Raditz blushed as he watched, his tail shaking and thumping like an angry cat's.

"This is hot! Whoo! Just wait until they start mud wrestling! They're some _dirty girls!" _Roshi said, shaking Raditz's shoulder and encouraging him to look.

"M-mud wrestling...?" He muttered, biting his lip.

"Hey, Launch!" Roshi called, slinging his arm over Raditz, friendly.

"Can ya' fetch us some beers!"

"Just a minute, Master Roshi! I'm making p-pepper steaks!" Launch hurriedly shouted back, washing her hands quickly.

Roshi's eyes widened as she said the words, a drop of sweat dripping down his temple. She didn't mean peppers, like the vegetable. She meant _pepper_, the sneeze inducing seasoning. He shivered as Launch came out into the living room, holding a six pack of beer and wiping her forehead with a kitchen towel.

"W-why don't you wear your bunny costume if you're hot, Launch! 'Member, that's why you don't cook in the maid costume!" Roshi suggested politely, taking his beer and sipping carefully.

"Oh! Silly me, I forgot! I'll go run and get changed!" She said, with a nervous giggle and ran upstairs. Raditz narrowed his eyes at Roshi suspiciously and took his can of beer, sniffing it.

"Hehe... just you watch, this is gonna be good..." Roshi said lowly, with a wink.

"What are you plotting, you old letch?"

Roshi cackled, and nudged Raditz's shoulder.

"I ain't blind boy, I know you got the hotsie-totsies for the blondie too, who _wouldn't!_ Sure, ol' blue is sweet, but can you just _imagine_ that little fireball in the sack! Whew! I bet she'd _suck ya dry!" _He cackled, and Raditz gave him a disgusted expression.

"You keep out of this, I know what I'm doing. She's my female as well. I care for both of them equally." He said, with a snort and gulped his beer.

Launch came back downstairs and ran by them in the skimpy costume, hurrying back into the kitchen before the steaks burnt. Raditz's eyes widened and he was suddenly very interested in her and completely forgot about what was on TV. He got up quickly, walking carefully across the carpet and peeking around the door, his tail twitching excitedly.

"Whoopsie! I forgot the pepper!' She said with a giggle, then there was a loud clatter._ "Ahh-chu!"_

Raditz cringed back and looked around quickly for something to conceal himself with as blonde Launch quickly took in her surroundings and grumbled.

"What the- Raditz!" She snarled, storming into the living room with a loaded machine gun. She saw Roshi sitting on the couch by his lonesome, innocently sipping his beer.

"You got 3 seconds to tell me where he is, ya old fart!" She growled, pointing it between his eyes.

"I dunno nothin', nope! My eyes is bad!" He said, shaking his head. Launch growled and stalked around the room, chuckling maliciously.

There was a small noise from the bathroom, the door slightly ajar as Launch kicked it open. Raditz ducked behind the shower curtain and quivered, the tip of his tail exposed.

"Get outta there, right now ya big pussy cat! I got a score ta' settle with you!"

"Launch- I- I didn't do anything I promise!"

He stuttered, and there was a dash of black through the living room, then a dash of blonde. Raditz ran and hid behind the couch as Launch flew after him.

"Get outta there, now! _Sheesh!_ You act as if I'm scary or somethin'! I just wanna talk to ya!" She said with a laugh, putting the gun behind her back.

Raditz popped his head up, gulping, then came out.

"O-Of course I'm not frightened, w-why would I be scared of a weak little female?" He said, puffing out his chest and crossing his arms bravely. Launch came forward, tracing one finger down the quivering pectoral muscle of his chest and slowly raising her gun.

"Because... this beautiful little gun here pumps out 500 rounds of ammo a minute..." She said sweetly, and placed the barrel of the gun between his legs.

"Launch, I-I swear, I did nothing uncouth, she-she said yes, so, umm..."

His cheeks reddened and he stepped back a pace, dislodging the barrel from the sensitive area where it had been lodged.

She narrowed her eyes at him, and turned quickly away with a huff. Raditz let out a deep sigh, as did Roshi, as she walked out of the room, sauntering away with the her brown tail swishing, holding their eyes captive.

"See? Told you. The female cares for me too much to actually harm me." Raditz said, plopping back on the couch and laughing.

"I dunno... Normally she shoots first and asks questions later... Eheh... Maybe I'll go see what ol' Ox King is up to-" He gulped as Raditz clutched one hand around his throat.

"You're staying right here, old man... You know better than I do the wrath of this one. Perhaps she will direct it at you instead of myself." He said with a smirk, and set him back down.

They sat in silence as they heard the sounds of steak sizzling and smelled a delightful aroma coming from the kitchen. Raditz sniffed eagerly and began to stand. Roshi yanked him down by his tail and he plopped back into the sofa.

"Don't. Move."

"B-But... It smells good..." Raditz whined, sniffing then licking his lips. Roshi narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

"That Launch _never_ cooks... The most I seen her make is baked beans and hotdogs... I hope she doesn't make worse food than blue... " He whispered conspicuously.

"Her cooking is _not bad! _It's _delicious!"_ He defended, looking at the old man incredulously.

"Oh right, your Goku's brother. I shoulda known, that boy will eat anything. I dunno... just be cautious... She might put razor blades in it." Roshi warned, shaking his head.

"Pah! She would never! Launch is kinder than you think, at times she even surprises me with how much she acts like the other. Those two females are... _fascinating_." He purred, rubbing his chin with a finger as he recalled the naughty behavior blonde Launch had shown before.

"Hey! You _know_ somethin'! Fess up! What's she do that's _freaky? _Did you an' her, _you know..." _Roshi leered, wiggling his eyebrows. Raditz stood up abruptly, brushing himself off as if filthy.

"I won't divulge the private moments I share with my females, just so you can have a new sick fantasy to pleasure yourself to, you wretched filth!" Raditz shuddered, quickly removing himself from the presence of the dirty old man and strolling right into the kitchen.

He looked back at Roshi and smirked, as if to say, _just watch this._ Master Roshi waved his hands around to try and stop him, but it was too late. Launch was standing by the stove tapping her foot impatiently waiting for the steaks to brown, bending down and checking the biscuits in the oven. Raditz watched her intently, as she wriggled her bottom, poking the biscuits to check for doneness, then, standing and stirring a pot of gravy.

"Mmm, something smells delightful..." Raditz purred, coming up behind her and peeking over her shoulder. Launch jumped a little, laughing nervously as he sniffed the steam over her shoulder.

"W-Well, don't go thinkin' I'm making this just for you! Ever since I became a Saiyan I'm always so freakin' _hungry!" _She sputtered, flustered by his close proximity. Raditz chuckled softly and slowly moved his hand to graze carefully down her hip, stroking the soft blue stockings she wore.

"Do you remember, the first words you said to me while wearing this same outfit? You were so brave, so beautiful... If it were not for my fool brother, perhaps I would have captured you instead..." He purred, and pulled her hip back to meet with his.

Launch gasped, at a loss for words. Her heart pounded in her chest as she dared to look back at him. His dark eyes were like liquid pools of smoke. She smiled, shaking.

"I-I remember... when you came out of that ship, you were so... " She took an intake of breath, then turned quickly and shut off the oven, whirling around and facing him. Launch stroked her hands up and down his chest and her emerald eyes lit with intensity. Her nails dug into his chest and she growled.

"So **_sexy_**, Raditz. Hehe, I wouldn't have shot you, I would have taken you as my hostage..." She chuckled, and pulled the gun out from behind her back and aimed it under his chin. Raditz stood still, blinking down at her.

"Then what, my naughty little vixen?" He purred, disregarding the rifle. Launch paused, clicking on the safety and dropping it to the ground.

"I would have made you beg for mercy..." She said, and Raditz leaned over and placed his hands on the edge of the stove as he pressed her back against the warm oven.

"I would have allowed you to, Launch." He whispered back, and leaned down to brush her lips with his. The soft graze sent tingling sparks through them both, as he brought his face down to her neck and sighed, smelling the delicious aroma of the meat on her skin mixing with her sweet scent. He licked his lips, searching for the sweet taste of her mating mark; his mouth watering. He heard her breathy gasp and smiled into her skin, nuzzling his nose into her hair.

It was not there, not on her throat where he had bitten the other Launch. Raditz pulled back her hair and continued to sniff, as she stood still, quivering at his touch. He parted his lips to trace his tounge on her, his hot breath causing her to flinch back.

"R-Raditz...Don't." Launch whispered with a shaky voice, and he snapped out of his trance, carefully backing away. She turned and started pulling out dishes and plating the food. Raditz watched, puzzled.

"Have I offended you...?" He said, cautiously. Gulping as he watched her pour gravy over the delicious looking meal.

"No, it's not that... I'm just, uhm..." Her husky voice was soft and almost squeaked as she turned around and blushed, handing him the plate and looking down at the floor.

"I guess I just feel- kinda... jealous of her." She said quietly, then turned back around, her shoulders narrowed as she filled the other plates. Raditz's throat bobbed up and down as he considered her words, not even noticing the curl of steam rising directly beneath his nose.

"You really love her, don't you?" She said softly, then turned and smiled at him. Raditz nodded.

"Ok, then... I'm happy for you two... She deserves a man who treats her right." She said softly, and walked past him with her head lowered, and his gaze followed her, tilting his head. Raditz hesitated to speak as she set the table, with a small strained smile on her face. He tilted his head and felt puzzled by her body language that didn't exactly mirror her words.

"Launch, you're _happy?_ But, you didn't want me to-"

"Sit down and eat before your food gets cold, Raditz. We can talk later." Launch said, and gave him a hard glare. He nodded and set his plate on the table, feeling that strange tugging in his chest once again as he looked down at his food and sighed.

_I don't believe that she is truly happy... I wish I could make her smile once again. But how?_

* * *

Puar felt his tiny little heart wrenched as the red and blue lights washed across the ground, as the ambulance drove away carrying Yamcha. He sobbed and looked up at the violet sky, feeling helpless.

They had told him that he couldn't come because he was an animal, and not his immediate family. But now, as he thought of it, _did _Yamcha have an immediate family? Puar had travelled with him for so long, since Yamcha was only a small boy, but he had never seen nor heard word of any relatives.

"I have to do something! I can't let him go all alone!" He squeaked, and flew inside to phone Oolong, and perhaps Master Roshi and see if there was anything that they could do.

* * *

"Oh god, this is to die for!" Bulma moaned, taking a bite of her chicken parmesan.

"'To _die_ for...?'" Vegeta murmured, suspiciously. He looked down at his food, at the vast array of different human delicacies that Bulma had procured for him. He poked his fork into a large piece of ravioli and was startled when cheese oozed out of it.

"Eat! Come on, _mangia, mangia!_ " Bulma said playfully, then looked over at his plate and stabbed a meatball off one of them and popped it in her mouth.

"Hey!" He growled, but then licked his lips after watching her eat. He felt relief knowing that it wasn't poisoned, so he quickly began forking the food into his mouth, his brows raising when he tasted the many mingled flavors all assailing his taste buds at once. His eyes became glazed over and he grunted as he began to devour everything in radius, his cheeks round as he crammed each new tasty item inside like a squirrel storing nuts away for the winter. Bulma giggled and blotted her mouth politely, taking a sip of wine.

"I'm impressed you know, you're a _much_ neater eater than Goku!" She said with a giggle, recieving only a short grunt from him.

Vegeta swallowed and folded his napkin into a triangle, blotting his cheek with it. He took a sip of water and sighed.

"Of course I'm well mannered, did you think I was a savage?" He said with a small smirk, leaning back in his chair as the waiter came by and took the tower of plates off the table.

"Can we have another round of breadsticks and salad please?" Bulma said, pushing her plate away.

"_Salad? Bread?_ What are you, a herbivore?Fetch us some meat." He said with a snort, entertained by her flushing cheeks.

"Of course, what kind of meat would you prefer, Ms. Briefs?"

"I'll take the lobster. He'll have the same." She said and wiggled her brows at him.

"Just wait till you try this! You'll love it!" She whispered, as the waiter tottered away carefully, balancing all of Vegeta's empty plates.

"You need more nutrients, woman. You're pitifully malnourished, it's no wonder you are always fatigued. We should dine in this way more often. It is a relief to not hear your mother's blabbering as I eat." Vegeta said, lowering his eyes as he sipped his water. He'd forgone drinking wine, he didn't want to have his senses dulled while the woman was partaking in the earthling's version of fermented malt. Bulma frowned at him a moment, feeling slightly offended by his wording, but she tried to take from it what she could.

"So, what you're saying is, you'd be happy to accompany me on another lunch date, Vegeta? How sweet!" She giggled, sipping her wine. She'd had three glasses so far, and her nose was beginning to turn pink at the end where it was flushed from inebriation.

He scoffed, shaking his head.

"Whatever. This food is sub par, on my planet, our feasts were much more grand. A true Saiyan Banquet took days to prepare, and the entire dining hall would be lined with tables of exotic meats, which would have been plundered from multiple planets to sate our nutritional needs." He said, closing his eyes and swirling the water around in the glass.

"Wow! That must have been something! Your planet sounds like it was very beautiful, Vegeta." Bulma said softly, her pinkened cheek squished against her palm as she gazed at him with her blue, watery eyes.

_It **was**. It is no longer, thanks to that spiteful lizard... I'd like to wring that slimy pink throat of his... The only lasting memory of the splendour of my planet is the azure color of the Xenoba blossoms, so much like her hair... Their scent, was much like hers..._

He lowered his eyes and stared down at the table, frowning, clutching his glass tighter until small cracks formed in the crystal. Bulma gasped softly and placed her hand over his, stopping him from breaking it.

"Vegeta, please... Tell me about it. I want to know what it was like there, please." She said, and stroked her soft hand across his rough knuckles. He pulled away from her touch, the glass falling to pieces as he did. Bulma pulled back quickly with a small yelp of pain, clutching her wrist.

His head came up quickly, scenting the sharp scent of her blood before it could even surface to her skin. Vegeta quickly took her hand and removed the small shard of glass, planting his mouth on her pink palm and sucking the small tendrils of oozing blood before she could see them and fall faint.

Bulma felt her eyelids flutter as she watched, between the fuzzy faint feeling and her sudden surprise as she gasped at the warmth of his mouth on her, how he closed his eyes and softly rumbled as he tasted her blood.

"Vegeta... ah.." She gasped, as he pulled away and licked, watching to make sure the bleeding had stopped. He quickly took a napkin and wrapped her hand with it, tying it in a small knot.

He exhaled sharply from his nostrils, pulling back with a slightly strained expression.

"You didn't have to do that, Vegeta, I'm ok, really... you shouldn't drink another person's blood, it's dirty." She said, pulling her bandaged hand to her cheek and flushing. He shook his head subtly.

"Your blood is the purest I've ever tasted." He said, and quickly licked his lips. Bulma gulped, feeling a shiver course through her veins.

_Saiyan's aren't vampires, **are they!**? He's certainly got the look, with that widow's peak and those sharp teeth..._

Bulma shivered, her eyes widening. He lifted one eyebrow at her odd reaction.

_Shouldn't she feel complimented? That I would drink her blood, mingling hers with mine... it's a great honor!_

"Ah, here we are. Is everything ok, Ms. Briefs? Is there anything else you need?" The waiter set down the lobster and touched her shoulder softly with his white gloved hand, noticing her startled expression.

"Uh, I-I'm alright, thank you." She stuttered, jumping when there was a low snarl eminating from Vegeta. The waiter quickly pulled away and said his apologies, before running off back to the kitchen. Vegeta watched him with a furrowed brow, red veins had begun to enlarge in the whites of his eyes.

"Is it customary on this planet for males to always _paw_ at you?" He growled, then looked down at the lobster and began tearing its limbs apart and slurping the meat out, cracking its shell violently and tearing out the meat like a rabid animal. His manners had been lost with his rage, as Bulma looked on, feeling a rising heat in her face, her heart rate skyrocketed as she watched him and she felt the need to cross her legs tightly.

"Woman?" He spat, then nudged her food closer to her.

"Eat. Now you surely require sustanence after your injury."

Bulma looked down at her food and gulped, feeling her stomach growling for her favorite delicacy, she nodded, pulling off a piece and dipping it daintily in the butter.

"I-It is not necessary for you to growl anytime a man touches me. You aren't my boyfriend. He was only being polite, it's part of his job." She said in a huff, popping it in her mouth with a small moan.

_God was that hot... The **lobster** I mean...! Why am I turned on by him acting like a total testosterone head!?_

Vegeta glared at her with those dark eyes, watching her intently as if he could see right through her facade.

_He can't hear my thoughts... **can he?!**_

Bulma made a small squeak and looked away, narrowing her shoulders as she felt his eyes still on her.

"I'm only doing my duty. Any one of these _earthling__ **scum**_ could have their way with you before it's your time to bear an heir, and_ I **won't** allow it!" _He suddenly growled, crushing the lobster shell in his hand.

"_What?!_ You can't tell me who I can sleep with, Vegeta! That's not your job!" She spat in a harsh whisper, feeling embarrassed by his outburst as other diners began to notice them. He pounded one fist on the table and there was a hush of sharp gasps throughout the room. Bulma jumped, her body stiffening. She crossed her arms and growled at him, narrowing her eyes.

"Be quiet! Do you want to get kicked out?!" She seethed, kicking him under the table. Vegeta felt her toe kicking his shin and growled, then stood up quickly and gripped her firmly by the arm, but not enough to cause harm.

"We're leaving, Woman." He hissed in her ear, and Bulma pushed him away, turning as she threw her money on the table.

"You can leave, Vegeta. You've done enough." She said, stubbornly sitting back down to wait for a to go box for her lobster. He stood stiffly, looking around awkwardly at the other patrons. He wanted to storm out but he was hesitant to leave her there.

A much larger employee of the restaurant came out this time, a cook or stock boy by the look of him. He approached Vegeta and eyed him carefully as Bulma paid her bill and boxed up her food, pushing past him and huffing as the man turned and gave him a warning glare. He disregarded the weak human and took off after her, out to the car where she fumbled to get her keys, with a tipsy hiccup.

"You cannot operate a vehicle in your state. I shall fly you home." He said sternly from behind her as he watched her fumbling.

"Don't tell me what to do! You aren't my dad! _God!"_ She said with a dramatic sigh, giggling when she dropped the keys and bent over to fetch them, revealing her lacy panties that were practically transparent. Vegeta quickly moved to conceal her, using his own hips.

Bulma gasped then laughed loudly, sputtering at the ridiculous pose they were in.

_"You can't just hump me right here! Everyone will see!"_

"That's _enough_, you're going home and resting. I won't allow you to taken against your will again, unless you want to be witness to a murder."

He said, and hefted her limp form into his arms. He looked at the car and frowned, then picked it up with one hand.

_"Omigosh **Vegeta**!"_ She gasped, cringing at the underbelly of the car over her head.

"Don't carry the car! I'll take care of it!" She said with a giggle, and fished her capsules out of her purse, putting her to go box of lobster in one and the car in another. Vegeta watched, in amazement as she caught the little pill shaped containers and put them in her purse.

"Ok. Les' go home." She said, slurring, and rested her head on his shoulder. Vegeta shook his head and scoffed, then rose up into the air carefully as not to jostle the contents of her stomach.

"You'd be wise not to become so inebriated in public _next time_, Woman." He snapped, hefting her up again and she flopped around and giggled.

"_Awwh_, Vegeta!" She placed a sloppy kiss on his cheek and hiccuped, as he pulled away and wiped it, scowling.

"You're just a big ol' softie!" She giggled, and wrapped her arms around his neck and closed her eyes.

"I am not soft. Retract that statement, _NOW!"_ He snapped, then paused when her heard her breaths deepen and she began to snore softly.

He shook his head and softened his grip on her to carry her more safely, pulling her to his chest and wrapping his tail around her.

"Such a childish female...I may as well carry you like one." He said, looking down, his tail wrapped around her waist squirmed against her back and curled as he flew, searching for a place to coil around. It gave up its mindless searching and curled into a ball at the end, as Vegeta could only stare down and gaze at the small female cradled to his chest.

* * *

Raditz looked down at his plate and gulped, as Master Roshi's eyes darted at his, nudging him and mouthing the words:

_'Razor Blades...'_

The old man poked at his food cautiously, searching it for tiny pieces of metal, or some type of inconsistency that would show it was poisonous. Raditz looked to Launch as she sat staring down at her food and sighed, playing with the mashed potatoes, swirling around the gravy and butter, then popping it in her mouth.

He didn't hesitate after that, he picked his steak up with his fork and took a large bite out of it, to Master Roshi's surprise. When he chewed into the meat, his eyes rolled back and he groaned aloud from the flavor of the meat. Launch's head popped up and she looked to him with a frightened expression, as if she were expecting him to be revolted by her cooking.

Raditz purred obnoxiously loud and took another bite, sounding like a lion ripping apart a deer carcass with the fervor he was devouring it with, passionately licking his lips and gulping it down until his eyes glazed over with sheer delight and he was scooping food in his mouth at a rapid pace.

Master Roshi watched Raditz carefully, then decided that it was safe as well and began gorging himself. What followed was an almost violent assault on the food before them, and the remaining food on the stove until Launch and Raditz were fighting over who got to lick the skillet.

He finally released it, feeling perhaps it would be more gentlemanly to allow the lady to lick the skillet, after all she had cooked it. He licked the back of his hand and cleaned his cheeks as she cleaned the skillet with her tongue and Master Roshi stood staring at the both of them with a puzzled expression. The both of them realized how they were acting and quickly straightened up, as Launch went to fill the sink with warm water to wash the dishes, Raditz bumped into her as he went to rinse off his plate.

They both looked to eachother and backed away.

"Uh, s'cuse me! Hehe!" Launch giggled, and Raditz backed off, carefully setting his plate down then gathering the dishes for her.

He smiled as she took them from him and began washing them, his tail wriggling behind his back as he darted to the other side curiously, watching her stack the soapy dishes on the other side.

She turned on the water and began to rinse the dishes, then set them on the drying rack. "Wait. Let me." He said gently, following her example by rinsing a plate, and setting it carefully on the dish rack, then he turned back to look at her, smiling. There was a chuckle from behind them as Roshi left the room, shaking his head to go relax on the couch.

_Perhaps that boy **does** know how to win a lady's heart..._

"Thanks, you don't have to help, ya' know." Launch said, diverting her eyes from him as she washed the pot in circular motions.

"Of course, why shouldn't I? I ate it as well." Raditz said simply, setting each dish down carefully as not to break them. He gave her a sideways glance and mused in his throat about how to tell her what he wanted to say without offending blue haired Launch.

_Her cooking is the best thing I've ever tasted, besides Launch's breakfast. Perhaps even better... but I don't want to hurt Little Launch's feelings if she can hear me..._

Launch noticed his glance and gulped, she couldn't help but wonder if he really liked her cooking, or if all that purring was just to cover up how bad it tasted. It tasted good to her, but she didn't know if he felt the same.

"I s'pose this kinda stuff really _is_ better left to the other me. I'm no good at being a lady. I normally just eat cup o' noodles and hot dogs for dinner." She said with a self-deprecating snort, and shrugged.

Raditz frowned, shaking his head.

"What do you mean? You are a fine female, you cook very well... I would even say, I believe that you have a shared ability with Little Launch, perhaps you share more aspects than you know." He said softly, and took the pot from her, rinsing it under the water.

"You...you think so? " Launch paused, holding a dish in mid air. He nodded, and gave her a rare toothy grin.

"You satisfied my appetite. Although, I'd like to try your other cooking, the cup o' noodles and hot dogs sounds intriguing." He said, not understanding the difference between junk food and regular food.

Launch laughed sheepishly, scrubbing the last dish off quickly.

"Nah, you dont want those, goofball." She said with a shake of her head and pulled the drain plug, washing her hands as he put the last dish away.

"Why not? If it's as good as steak, then I'll try it. I've eaten all kinds of strange things in my life, nothing you cook could bother my stomach. Besides, now that you're a Saiyan, you will need more nutrients. Perhaps I could learn how to use the kitchen to cook." He said with curiosity, crossing his arms and looking genuinely interested.

Launch chuckled, and softly batted him on his shoulder.

"Now you're just pullin' my tail. _You?_ A manly man, wearin' a little apron, flippin' pancakes?" She laughed aloud at that image, then squeaked out loud when he tugged on her tail playfully with his, looping it around and curling it as she whirled around.

"Eeep! Raditz!" She covered her mouth as her voice came out oddly mouse-like.

"D-D-don't touch your tail with mine! That's pervy!" She exclaimed, trying to wriggle hers away and blushing. He simply wrapped his around like a corkscrew and chuckled.

"No, it's not perverse. Even children tail wrap. It's your reaction that's deviant..." He snickered, and began twisting his around. She let out a yelp and pulled hers free quickly, panting as she backed away into the wall. Her tail frizzled up and twitched along her back like a frightened cat as he continued to advance on her.

"Come now, I was only doing what you suggested... aren't you the coy one?" He murmured, lifting her chin with one finger. Launch shivered as he lowered his face to hers, then unexpectedly bit his finger and made him jump back with shock.

"Watch it, pal! _I **bit**__e!"_ She growled, then turned tail and went storming upstairs.

Raditz stood stiffly, his tail just as fluffed as hers was as he nursed his hurt finger.

"Ha! She gotcha! I knew it!" Master Roshi cackled, patting Raditz on the back so surprisingly hard he jumped.

"You lasted a good while, but I think she got suspicious when you said you wanted to learn how to cook. That was a rookie mistake, my boy." He said with a snort, and Raditz turned to him and frowned, scratching the back of his head absentmindedly.

"But I _do_ want to learn how to cook..." He started, then was hushed quickly by Roshi holding one finger to his teeth as he hissed.

"_Sssshhhh!_ Don't you _ever_ say things like that boy, she'll have you waitin' hand an' foot on her, she ain't gonna be jumpin' no _nanny boy's_ bones!" Roshi shook his head shamefully, then took Raditz by the arm and practically dragged him back to his man cave where all his nudie magazines and beer bottles lied about haphazardly.

"What's this... a den?" Raditz snorted, offended by the scent in the room.

"Shh! Launch doesn't know about this room. Come and have a seat, my boy."

He walked over and patted the sticky leather seat of a lazy boy reclining couch, and Raditz hesitantly followed, sitting gingerly on the arm rest. He saw the nudie magazines lying wide open on the coffee table and knew better.

"Now, you're a big, buff manly man, aincha?" Roshi said, with a growl for emphasis. Raditz looked down at himself and shrugged.

"I guess so."

"Well, start actin' like it! This Launch is _into_ that kinda thing, I'm _tellin' _ya! The other one's got ya all softened up like a big ol' kitten! You gotta show her the goods! Get er' all riled up by your sweaty muscles! She used to love watchin' Tien work out, that's what started the whole thing! But he was too chicken to take control sooner, you can't make that mistake!"

Raditz nodded, connecting the dots from before. "That's true, she did seem to be oddly interested before..."

"See! Now are you a **man** or a _puddy cat!?"_ Roshi demanded, shaking his fist for emphasis.

"I'm a **man**!"

"Are you gonna let that lil girl bite ya and get away with it?!" He screamed now, shaking Raditz by his shoulders.

"NO!" He growled, standing and bristling from head to toe, snarling.

"Ok! Go! Go!" Roshi cheered, pushing Raditz firmly out the door and following, as Raditz stumbled out and looked around for Launch nervously.

Roshi shoved him harder until he was upstairs and Raditz burst through the bedroom door, nearly tearing it off the hinges.

"GRRRROWWL!"

"YOU PERVERT!"

-CRACK!-

Raditz went tumbling backwards down the stairs, then the door slammed loudly.

"Can't... breathe...need.. air!" Master Roshi squeaked from beneath Raditz, and he got up, rubbing his cheek dazedly where she had slapped him.

"Well?" Roshi asked after a moment, once he could breathe normally.

"She-she-she was..." Raditz stuttered, his eyes widening as his jaw started to quiver uncontrollably.

"Naked?!" Roshi's nose suddenly spurted blood, and Raditz pushed him away, shaking his head.

"I-I should have knocked first!" His eyes grew large and apologetic, then he turned to go back upstairs, but was stopped by a hard tug on his tail.

"No! That's what she's expectin'! She's probably waitin' with a shotgun!"

He paused, weighing his options.

"...What should I do now?"

"Ignore her! Act like ya' didn't even give a shit she was naked, that'll get her goin'!"

Raditz frowned, with a deep whine.

_"Ignore her...?_ But I don't want to do that... I want to be with her _now_."

Roshi shook his head and pulled Raditz away, and shoved him out the door.

They both came outside and Raditz looked around with confusion. Master Roshi was trying to heave two large turtle shells over, panting and grunting as he did. Raditz walked over and picked them up easily, moving them to test their weight. "Hmm."

"Each one of these babies weighs 300 pounds! Filled right to the brim with concrete! You get lifting these, until ya get a nice sweat worked up!" Roshi said, patting him with encouragement.

"Oh, and take your pants off too! Show'er the goods!"

"But, I'm naked under here..." Raditz looked down at his jeans and blushed.

"Just a minute, I got somethin' you can wear!" He said, running back inside.

"Uh, ok..." Raditz said, and walked over to an open area and began lifting the turtle shells like weights.

_What a strange old man... I suppose I appreciate his help, but I'm not certain that this will work on Launch_...


	20. A Vow of Blood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tien awakens to find out what his fate will be. Yamcha has some visitors at the hospital. Vegeta returns home, Raditz continues his special training with Master Roshi, Launch has thoughts, Nappa and Kannon make their move

_Sakura...?_

Sakura blossoms cascaded lazily down from a hazy blue sky, obscuring the halo of sunlight radiating down and making the pink blossoms transparent as they continued their long, graceful journey down to the ground. He turned his head, feeling light, weightless. Opening his eyes, to see those rosy, fragrant blossoms making soft pillows of petals of the ground.

_Is this... Nirvana...?_

"Look what the cat dragged in, hm hm," A faint, yet scathingly familiar voice came from the distance, as he blinked again and took a deep breath of the heavily fragranced air.

"_Already?_ Pity. I suppose he failed, then."

Tien sat up, looking down at himself and feeling the fabric of his uniform, the green crane gi with yellow sleeves. He looked at his hands, his two hands...

_Kill...! Kill all Saiyans!_

A voice seethed in his ear, as he curled his fingers and shook his mind free of the lingering thoughts.

"What brings you to Paradise, boy?"

Tien looked up quickly, finding his light body could move fluidly, he stood on the soft floor of flowers and looked around himself frantically.

"Master Shen?! Master Tao?!"

There was a soft chuckle, then a breeze that whipped the blossoms around violently.

"I'm- I'm in Paradise? Nirvana? Why!?" He cried out, whirling around as the petals spun faster, at a dizzying pace.

"Where's Chiaoutzu?"

"Your little friend is not here. We're all here though, just like old times, eh?"

The voices bounced off the breeze and faded, as Tien stopped whirling and stared. He saw his back, KILLYOU; It said. A braid of black hair with a red ribbon. Tien's heart raced wildly in his chest,_ his... chest? _He placed his hand there and felt that his body was solid, where before it had been formless in limbo where he had stayed, lingering in a state of torment remembering every wrongdoing he had ever done.

"But why am I _here?_ I'm a sinner!" He cried out, hearing the grating cackle, seeing the lowered nape of a blue-haired man with a black cap.

"We've all got our demons. Some of us_ are_ demons." Master Shen said coldly, waving one hand and scoffing.

"Where is everyone? _Goku!? Krillin!?" _He screamed, flying up and attempting to look around at the vast world which was only cherry blossom trees, the fragrance so heavy and cloying it made him cough.

_"I'm sorry! _I'm so sorry for everything! I should have been there for you _Goku! _I should have saved you, _Krillin!"_

His scream was muffled on the thickened air; it did not carry and echo as it should have. It was as if all sound were cut off; trapped in a bubble.

"Oh that's right, your precious friends... I should have known, traitor to the Cranes." Shen scoffed, slowly turning and looking up at him with a grimace through his dark sunglasses.

Mercenary Tao turned, looking up with his narrowed almond eyes, and scoffed as well.

"What wasted potential, don't tell me you died trying to _'save the world'_ for those fools."

There was another low laugh, as a figure came out of the thick petals.

"Tell us; how did you come to the next world? _Selfless sacrifice?_ Perhaps, a martyr? How _noble. _How kind of you to come." Demon King Piccolo came out of the midst, glaring up at him and snarling.

Tien looked at them all with bafflement; _Why are **they** here in Nirvana? __They're__ no saints... Each one of them has wronged me in one way or another..._

"I died because I became corrupted by the power of my third eye. It changed me, I wasn't myself! I shouldn't be here! I should be in _hell, as should all of **you**!"_

He screamed, pulling away the suffocating layers of his gi. The scratch on his chest where Cyborg Mercenary Tao had scarred him was still there, bleeding. Tien looked down and touched it, pulling his hand away and staring at the brilliant red blood that slowly became black on his palm.

"My blood... why? I shouldn't be bleeding... This is some type of mistake!" He clenched his fist and the dark blood seeped through his fingers, as he glared down at all the figures below, who laughed at his misery.

"You should all be _dead!"_

He screamed, as they slowly walked forward, and the sky darkened to billowing clouds of dark violet, lightning crackling across the atmosphere.

Tien clutched his arm and screamed in agony as it fell away, broken. Bone jutted out starkly in a white, jagged shard where Raditz had broken his arm.

"Ouch. That's a ghastly wound. It'll be hard to fight like that, Tienshinhan." Shen chuckled, clenching and loosening his fist as he moved his leg upwards to the crane pose. Ink-like slime seeped from his eyes where the dark lenses were, and they melted away until all that remained were black teary chasms where his eyes should have been.

"We've been waiting for you, for our final rematch. Don't you think we've earned one? You've always been cursed by your forgiving nature... Do you forgive us?"

Tien looked frantically, at Mercenary Tao who grinned, then laughed so wildly his jaw seemed to come unhinged. His eye became a round red lense, his arms became metal limbs and a blade came out and spinned from his forearm.

"It wasn't a fair match! I say I deserve a rematch, for old times sake?"

Tien gasped, flinching back from the shining glint in the darkness; the glow of the robotic eye. The sky darkened furthermore and there was a low, rumbling laugh, as he turned to see King Piccolo's form enlarging, growing taller until he towered over him and chuckled maliciously.

"_Now_ whose captured in a jar? Can't get out, like a fly buzzing about aimlessly, suffocating in it's own filth... " He said darkly, grinning with his long, white fangs that dripped with a channel of purple blood that fell down to the ground with a splash; melting the flower petals like acid, making a vast chasm in the ground. The earth split, and a bevy of lost souls burst free, howling as they were released.

"This... this isn't Nirvana! This is **Hell**!" Tien screamed, his eyes widening as the souls raced past him, circling.

"Those are the souls of the ones you deceived, the ones you slaughtered in your beastial state. Do you think they will forgive you...?" Shen spoke again, with a harsh cough. Murky liquid sputtered from his lips, then the black skeletons of birds erupted from his mouth and flew around Tien, screeching as they tore at his skin with their sharp talons and beaks. He batted them away frantically, becoming covered with bleeding lacerations.

"It's time for your final decision, Shinhan. Who are you? Are you one of us? Or one of **them**?" Tao whispered sharply, his hair came away from his braid and lashed on the air, as he advanced, releasing his metal hand and opening a cannon in his artificial arm.

"I'm one of them! I fight for _good!"_ Tien shouted, but as he did he heard his own voice and shuddered, at the low, grating quality of it that was demonic.

"Demon. You are of demon blood. You are strong, powerful. Do not cast away your true nature." King Piccolo said, and as he knelt down to observe him closer, his eyes became red and glowing. He hissed, _"Demon..."_

"NO! I'm not a demon! I'm not!" Tien cried out, as he felt the change in his body, arms sprouted from his back painfully and he screamed as his muscles enlarged, his eyes opened wide and his vision was red with blood.

"Saiyan!" He grunted, gutteral.

"Kill Saiyans!" Tien clutched his face in his hands and screamed, digging his fingernails into his face until his skin spilt and began to bleed, he screamed in agony as the whisper still lingered there in his mind, calling to him in a rasping voice.

_Son, return to us. Come home to sanctuary... See your true nature, your true power, Gemini! Gemini! You must seek out revenge on all Saiyans! Kill those who took your vessel, find her, bring her home!_

Tien screamed in sheer agony as his third eye pulsed, vibrating in his flesh. He felt a rumbling coming from deep within him, shaking him to his core as his true nature called out to be released.

"No... I won't... give in!" He grunted, then all around him he felt pain, as he opened his eyes he felt the lashing blades; the claws of hatred tearing at his skin as his opponents attacked him.

He tried to see through the haze of blood, blinking as he felt the pain of his wounds over and over, as Mercenary Tao slashed him, each arm was broken off and torn away with a sickening crunch as King Piccolo dismembered him, holding him like a doll. He felt the pain of blows hitting him as Shen kicked and hit him brutally, then stabbed his fingers into his eyes and clutched his skull with the back of his hand.

"Shall we tear these out of your skull!? Maybe _then_ you will see, you only require one eye, don't you?" He cackled, and with a violent tug he scooped his eyeballs from the sockets and roared with laughter as they came away like wet grapes on his fingers. Tien fell to his knees and sobbed, feeling the aching throb in his skull where his tears ran from the gaping wounds.

"STOP! STOP! I'M SORRY! I FORGIVE YOU!" He cried out in despair, as his body was torn to shreds by the black-boned birds, his innards torn out by the souls that danced and carried them through the sky, singing a haunting tune.

"Open your eye! Open your EYE!" King Piccolo roared, and Tien opened his one remaining eye to see the world around him, that was black at the edges as blood ran over his pupil, drenching all in rosy colored glass.

_"Help me! Help!" _Tien sobbed, as his body was washed away in the purple river of acid, and only his third eye remained.

"_Make love to me... Make love to me,__ Tien..."_ A sultry voice whispered; and in the dark violet waves he saw her lying there, blonde waves swirling with the water as she grinned, her green eyes sparkling.

"_I want you, don't you want me...? Tien..."_

"Launch!" Tien belted out, his disembodied soul found its bearings and he looked down at himself, his body that was young, virile, taut.

"_Take me... Oh, Tien.."_

He stumbled towards her, taking her lithe form in his arms and kissed her, as she wrapped her legs around him like warm liquid, her body moulded to his. Tien growled into her mouth as he squeezed her, feeling her body and thrusting into her, as Launch moaned wantonly, tilting her head back and groaning with pleasure as they fell into the dark waves, writhing; weightless as he thrashed against her.

Tien felt pain, pleasure, so full within his veins it throbbed and he screamed with his desire, pulling back and gripping her firmly to him as their bodies careened down to the darkest pit, he stared into her eyes as they slowly faded from emerald to red; and her sorrowful moan met his ears.

"_You left me... You left me... You threw me away... You used me! "_

She screeched in her rage, as her teeth elongated until they were fangs, her eyes became dark, blood-red. Launch snarled, as dark fur covered her body and she lashed against his body painfully.

"No, Launch, I didn't want you to get hurt! I love you!"

"LIES! YOU HURT ME!"

She cried, and slashed him across his cheek with her nails, and they finally passed through the dark abyss and into the fire, Tien reached up as she became innocent once again, looking down with her soft violet eyes, her blue curls with tears in her eyes, as he fell into the fire.

"I'm sorry! Launch! Please forgive me! I will spend all eternity begging for your forgiveness! Launch!"

Tien screamed as he fell, and landed at last on something solid. He opened his eyes to see Raditz, kneeling over him, holding him in the palm of his hand. He was large, looming before the fires of hell; his dark eyes, murky black pools of hatred.

"Tien Shinhan... You do not deserve to live." He said lowly, his cutting voice, hissing. Raditz's fingers clutched tightly around him, as his hair became a dark, reddened flame in the light, and he bared his teeth, which became longer and more deadly as he growled.

"You hurt her, the one woman you so desperately wanted; you are **cruel**. You are **corrupt**; I should crush your body in my hands until each drop of blood is eked from your veins, then runs down my fingertips..." Raditz hissed, as he squeezed him tighter and tighter in his hand. Tien struggled, watching in fear as long, black horns grew and jutted from Raditz's brow, curling inward to deadly points.

Tien closed his eyes and sobbed, feeling his bones gradually starting to give; he was ready to die. He deserved to die for what he had done.

"Why do you not fight? Why do you cry?" Raditz seethed, tilting his head and licking his teeth as he watched Tien weakening in his grip.

"I deserved to die by your hand, you had every right to kill me, Raditz. You could never forgive me for what I did to Launch..." Tien sobbed out, then he felt a hot sigh of breath wash over him.

"No." Raditz echoed, he opened his eyes and saw the goodness in him that could not be corrupted as the demon form faded away and he became softly aglow with golden light, smiling. His grey vignette eyes so warm, so full of accepance.

Raditz's palm opened and he moved it to place over his heart, then held Tien there and looked down at him pressed to his warm skin, against the beating of his immense heart.

"I shall forgive you... I will not hold resentment, for that is a sin. You will be burned in the fires of damnation for all eternity, if you cannot."

Tien sobbed hopelessly, feeling he did not deserve forgiveness.

"But why? Why would you forgive me? You have every right to hate me!" He cried, clutching to the warm embrace as Raditz's large hand stroked his back.

"All men deserve forgiveness, can you forgive? Will you spite me now; that I have claimed what you discarded?" Raditz said, and pulled Tien back to look upon him. Tien's eyes watered with tears and he shook his head, falling to his knees.

"No! I forgive you... Raditz, I am sorry."

"Then go, back." He spoke, and Tien looked around him and gasped, as the world became a colorless void; and he fell.

Silence. Then, the noises of life; people casually chattering. Birds chirping...

"Next!"

He blinked, feeling his face and marvelling, his eyes were all there, his skin, all intact.

_"Next!"_ Tien blinked, and looked around. A small blue skinned man stood before him, tapping his foot impatiently.

"Come on, we don't have all eternity!"

Tien gulped, and stepped forward hesitantly. The little ogre pushed him along quickly, whispering sharply.

"Now go, and _b__e respectful!_ This is your last shot!" The little man said, and shoved him. Tien stumbled into the room and looked around in wonder.

"Tien...Shinhan. Death by Spontaneous Combustion. That's rare." A voice suddenly boomed, he looked up quickly to see the large red-skinned man towering above him. Tien fell to his knees and bowed fervently.

"K-King Yemma... Sir!" He sputtered, in reverence.

"Up. I am not your precious God." He said, placing his bearded face in his large palm and sighing.

Tien stood, clasping his hands behind his back respectfully.

"Now, it says here that you died in battle... After we have reviewed your life, we have decided that you shall go on to Nirvana, if that is your wish. The better part of your life was spent as a holy man, until the corruption changed you. You will find that the evil eye you possessed now is simply that; an eye."

King Yemma said, pointing to his forehead. Tien felt his own, feeling the familiar mutation there. But, the heaviness was gone. His mind was clear, light.

"I can go... to Nirvana? Me?" He said softly, and looked up with tears in his eyes. King Yemma sighed and tapped his pencil impatiently.

"Whenever you're ready. You can go to the waiting room through that door, they will call your name when it's your time." He said, pointing to the near door labelled Nirvana, the other, Hell.

"I... was in Hell?" He mumbled, shivering.

"You spent a short term in Purgatory. The price all mortals pay, until their atonement. You've apologized for your sins, and now it's time to go. To Nirvana."

Tien shook his head defiantly and sobbed.

"No...I! I! Want to live! I will spend my entire life atoning for my sins! Please! I beg you, I must go back to Earth! They need me!" He begged, falling to his knees. King Yemma sighed, and shrugged.

"You're that little bald man's friend...? Well, _two_ bald little men came through this way. I assume you'd like to go with them." He said, blinking as if bored.

Tien gasped, feeling his heart aching.

"C-Chiaotzu... and Krillin..?"

King Yemma nodded.

"They're receiving special training. But you'll have to go down Snake Way, I warn you, it's an arduous journey...well, actually-" King Yemma sighed.

"...It's under _construction_ at the moment. Some goof tied the whole thing up, Son Goku or...whatever. You can take the stairs." He muttered, and waved him off.

Tien suddenly laughed, feeling light as a feather. "You say, Goku.. did that?" He laughed again, feeling his insides warming.

"Yes... Now, get going. King Kai will be waiting." He said, and an ogre ushered him out of the room quickly, pointing to the stairway.

"I hope you can fly, the stairs only go so far." The little man snipped, unlatching the velvet rope. Tien nodded, "Yes... I can fly... Thank you! Thank you so much!" He cried out, and hugged the little man, who squirmed and slapped at him.

"Don't thank _me! Sheesh! _What's with you warrior types!?"

He gave him a little push and Tien walked down the stairs quickly, grinning all the while.

* * *

The E.R in West City was bustling with activity as always on a hot summer day, with people coming in from various freak accidents, broken limbs, domestic disputes, car accidents, gun shot wounds; you name it. It was a mad house. A short, particularly fat, middle-aged couple stood at the counter, attempting to reach the service bell.

"Dang it, we're too short!" The fat man with a green cap grumbled, coming down and scratching his stubbly cheek.

"Well, you better think of something!" His even smaller wife squeaked, putting her hands on her hips.

"Couldn't ya have shown the goods a bit more? No one's gonna let in Mother Theresa here!" The man said, and yanked down the front of her shirt to show some more cleavage.

"Hey! You pervert!" She squealed, and slapped him, making the man make a snorting sound.

"Here, pick me up!" She ordered, putting her arms out. He grumbled and lifted her onto his shoulders, grunting.

"Jeez Louise, lay off the meow mix _Garfield!" _He grunted, as he struggled to hold her. She rang the bell immediately, pounding the little bell until the secretary opened the glass window and screamed, "Fill out the form and wait your turn!"

The little woman huffed and jumped up onto the counter.

"I'm here to see my son, Yamcha- uh, Yamcha Jones! Yeah! We're his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Jones!" She squeaked, small blue ears suddenly popping onto the top of her head.

"Yes, there's a Yamcha here, no last name given. Could I have proof of identity?"

The little lady stuttered, reaching around to her purse. "Of- Of course!"

She then yanked on the man's ear, to which he snorted and poofed into a small I.D., that was relatively fat. It also had a curly-Q tail. She handed it to the lady, who looked at it with speculation.

"Hmm... Is this some kind of foreign I.D.?" She said, pulling on the tail and making it make a squealing sound.

"Umm.. Yes! That's the new feature, so that you can always find it! It oinks!"

With that, the I.D. oinked; and the secretary dropped it quickly as if it were filthy, and rubbed hand sanitizer on her hands briskly with a small shudder.

"Things look about right, you can go and see him. He's in room 12, resting."

"T-Thank you!" The small couple shouted, and took off running in a small cloud into the recovery wing. They approached the door labeled number 12, and once inside, Oolong and Puar popped back into their normal shapes, panting heavily.

"Whoo! That was close!" Oolong panted, still recovering from his brief stint as an Identification card.

"Hey... you guys made it..." Yamcha said in a raspy voice, Puar flew to his side immediately, sobbing.

"Oh, Yamcha! I was so scared!" He said, wrapping his arms around his neck as Yamcha blinked wearily.

"Hey kiddo, how's things?" Oolong said, coming to the side of the bed, then looking down with a somber expression.

Yamcha grunted and struggled to sit up, then pressed the button on the bed remote to make it angle upwards.

There was an I.V drip to the right of him and he looked somewhat pale, but he still had a small sideways smirk.

"Heh... Guess I overdid it with the booze... alcohol poisoning and severe dehydration... " He said with a small cough, rolling his eyes.

"Yamcha... really?" Puar asked sadly, putting his paw on Yamcha's hand. Yamcha closed his eyes and shrugged.

"Well, I was hoping I wouldn't wake up, guess I'm not so lucky." He said with a self-deprecating laugh, and coughed again. Puar frowned, shaking his head.

"Don't say that! That's horrible!"

"Yeah, what's a kid like you got to be worried about?" Oolong said with a snort.

Yamcha looked down at his lap and sighed, "Alot, unfortunately..."

Puar looked to Oolong and huffed, crossing his arms. Oolong jumped a little then his ears drooped when he remembered what Puar had said about _why_ Yamcha fainted.

"Oh, uh... my bad. I'll go wait outside..." He mumbled, and shuffled out the door.

"He's right, you know. A guy my age shouldn't have anything to worry about. I should be living the good life, instead I'm here. Wishing I was dead. I should be dead with everyone else..." He said, and sobbed, holding his face in his palms and shaking his head.

Puar rubbed his shoulder and sighed, "That's not true! Think of it this way, you could help look after things while they're gone! Get back on your feet and get stronger!" Puar said, to try and encourage him. Yamcha paused, wiping his eyes. He furrowed his brow and grimaced.

"Yeah, like Bulma? What about her, she's with Vegeta... I just know there's something going on there, If I find out he's even touched her, I'll-"

"Yamcha, Jones?" The door opened and he paused, looking up.

"Yes..?" He said, slightly confused. He looked to Puar, and the little cat shrugged his shoulders sheepishly.

A nurse walked in, holding a clipboard.

"We're moving you to a new room overnight, it should be about two or three days until you can be cleared to go home. How are you feeling?"

"I'm tired... I think I'd like to just go to sleep now." He said, and lowered his head. Puar looked down and sighed, the nurse noticed him and cocked her head curiously.

"Is that your kitty cat?" She asked, her large blue eyes sparkling. Yamcha frowned, looking to Puar. He gave him a weak wink and Puar sighed, then looked to the young, pretty nurse and crawled on all fours.

"Meow? _Mrrr__ow?"_ He said, rubbing against her. "_Awwwh! _What a cute wittle kitty!" She giggled, picking him up and snuggling him until he squeaked. She petted his head vigorously until his eyelids pulled back, giggling.

"Nurse?" A man's head popped in the door, and she gasped, hiding Puar under her blouse before turning around. The doctor's eyes bulged at her apparent sudden pregnancy and stuttered, "Uh, the ambulance is here to transport the patient to our other facility... Would you accompany him?" She nodded quickly, and he closed the door.

Puar scrambled out of her shirt, blushing brightly and flew back over to Yamcha. The nurse giggled and fluffed her shoulder-length curly, brown hair.

"My name is Miyuki! I'll be taking care of you for the next few days, Yam_ucha_~." She said with a giggle, and Yamcha's cheeks turned cherry red as she came closer and rolled over a wheelchair for him.

"T-Thank y-you... " He stuttered, his eyes looking oddly dazed as she helped him into the chair, and Puar crawled onto his lap. She eyed him for a second, then placed a blanket over his lap to hide Puar and whispered in his ear as she began rolling him out of the room, "_Psst_, what kind of cat food does she like?"

Yamcha stuttered to answer, but Puar piped up from under the blanket.

"I'll have you know I'm a _boy! _And, uh... meow mix!" He said, seeming bashful as he hid under the blanket and quivered.

"Ok! I have kitties at home! Three of them!" She said, with a giggle. Yamcha gulped, his doofy eyes widened as he reclined in the chair, looking up at her as she pushed him down the hall, humming.

_This hospital life sounds like it's gonna be great..._ He thought to himself, and grinned.

* * *

Master Roshi wiggled the door handle, then knocked again, grumbling.

"Come on out! It can't be that bad!" He grumbled, his hands on his hips.

"Is it just you there...? " A nervous voice responded, and Roshi rolled his eyes.

"Yep, come on Raditz, we're both men here, nuthin' to be embarrassed about. I gotta get going to see Yamcha. Now, Come. Out!" He said, and pulled the door open.

"_Aahhh!"_ Raditz yelped, and quickly censored himself. Master Roshi sputtered, backing up and removing his sunglasses. He blinked a few times, rubbing his eyes.

"Errr... Well _that_ will certainly catch her attention!" He said, awkwardly and looked away quickly, shaking his head.

"You think so...?" He asked, gulping nervously as he looked at himself in the mirror and turned.

"I know so! Now go on, Tarzan go get Jane!" Roshi chuckled, and nudged him with his cane. Raditz stumbled out of the bathroom, crouching and looking around conspicuously for anyone else in the house. Master Roshi grabbed his tail and yanked him back outside, pushing him back over to the turtle shell weights.

"There, now get liftin'! This is your new training, lift those shells til' she comes outside, and If she don't, welp, lift em' till ya can't no more! I gotta go, good luck!" Roshi said, tottering off to get onto Turtle, then floating off into the water. Raditz exhaled sharply, quivering as he walked over and picked the shells up by the neck holes, then grunted as he began lifting them easily with each arm.

_I have_ _ a feeling that this will not go quite as Master Roshi saw in that dirty movie... I'm not expecting anything like **that**... I simply wanted to cheer her up, but I suppose the old man must have some experience with women, he's so **ancient**...he must have been with **thousands** of women!_

Raditz exhaled sharply as he lowered the weights again, then got down on one knee and began doing lunges while he was at it.

_May as well keep in shape anyhow... This is a good workout! I have to admit that these Earthling garments are much more comfortable than space spandex... So much **freedom** to move around! Perhaps I will keep these..._

He thought to himself, as he focused on his training. Raditz got into the zone of doing repetitions, calming himself as he worked his muscle, staring off into the horizon with a relaxed demeanor as he slowly forgot why Master Roshi made him wear the strange underwear...

* * *

Launch sighed as she stared at the door handle, feeling frustrated. She picked up her semi automatic and hefted it, it seemed to always give her confidence, and she really needed it right about now. She took a deep breath and opened the door, expecting Raditz to be there, with his arms crossed, waiting stubbornly for her to open the door, but, he wasn't...

_That's odd. He never came back to apologize? I thought for **sure** he would after the guilty look he had on his face... Poor guy. I didn't mean to smack him so hard, but man, this Saiyan strength is crazy!_

She looked around and sighed, then smoothed out her hot pink bandeau dress that went down to mid-thigh and blushed. She didn't know why she felt like looking so much like a girly girl all the sudden, she'd always been a tomboy. But, for whatever reason after Raditz complimented her on her cooking, and told her that she was alot like the other Launch, she felt _maybe_ it wouldn't be so strange for her to wear a dress. After all, she _was_ a girl. So why the hell not?

Launch came down the stairs and looked around, she had heard lots of weird noise earlier like Master Roshi was beating on Raditz or something, but that couldn't be, the man was so strong... but, he wouldn't ever actually _hurt_ Master Roshi.

She was beginning to see that he wasn't such the beast that she thought before, he was actually _surprisingly_ gentle and kind. She smiled, and for a moment she thought of Tien as she looked at her feet in the strappy black sandals, with her toenails painted red. _Tien was kind. He was always so patient with me, no matter how nuts I drove him..._

She laughed softly to herself and walked over to the refrigerator, taking out a pitcher of cold water. Launch turned to the cupboard and began making a large pitcher of Iced Tea for her and Raditz to share, smiling softly as she stirred the powder into the water and thought of Tien again, back to when she had made him Lemonade.

It was slowly becoming easier for her to think of him without breaking down in tears. Raditz had helped her alot in that area, with his open arms ready to comfort her whenever she needed a shoulder to cry on. _I suppose it couldn't hurt to be a little nicer to the guy, he is after all sorta my boyfriend... Well, **half**..._

She giggled, curling her tail up, then remembered to lower her tail so it wouldn't show her bottom like it had earlier in the French maid costume. She stared at the wall in a daze, daydreaming about Raditz. She was stirring dreamily for a moment, then she accidentally splashed a small amount of tea on the counter and giggled.

"Whoopsie!"

Launch shook her head and straightened herself back up, quickly wiping up the mess. _What the hell was that all about?_

* * *

_Just great... Precisely what I **do not** want right now.._

Vegeta growled to himself as he lowered into the Brief's backyard and eyed the blonde woman outside, struggling with a strange, noisy object. He watched her a moment, then felt Bulma slowly sliding off his shoulder and hefted her back up.

_How am I going to explain how she's become so incapacitated? Surely she'll think I did something malicious to her daughter, I can't have that..._

Vegeta slowly attempted to creep past the woman, then was startled when the thing she was struggling with sputtered and spit out a torrent of mulched grass at him, onto his _new pants!_

"Damn it, old woman! What the hell!" He bellowed, nearly dropping Bulma and waking her up in the process. She mumbled, slurring and drooling onto his shoulder then dozed back off.

Bunny turned off the loud, rank smelling machine and turned and gasped aloud at seeing the slash of green on Vegeta's tan chino pants. He was attempting to hold in his rage, but she could see the familiar vein pulsing in his forehead just like her husband had sometimes...

_"Oh no! I'm so sorry, Vegeta darling!" _She cried out, then ran over and started plucking at his pants fretfully.

"Hmm, some vinegar and bakin' soda might do the trick...and these are nice pants too..." She looked up to him, then to Bulma asleep in his arms and grinned.

"Lemme guess, a little too many drinkie poos?" She said with a giggle, and Vegeta nodded. She tugged gently on his arm and he followed her, scowling all the while.

"Just put her up in her bed, darlin'. She'll be ok in a little while, once it wears off."

He walked up the stairs, carrying her gingerly, making sure not to hit her feet off the wall. Vegeta came into the bedroom he knew as Bulma's by the scent that hit him like a brick wall to his senses every time he walked by. He walked in, noticing that it was visibly less messy, and had a fresher scent. Clean linens had been put on the bed, and the offensive scent of the earthling male from before had completely diminished.

He set her down on the bed carefully, gently lying her head on the pillow. He happened to glance down at the red heels she wore, and removed them as well before they could dirty the white sheets. Vegeta set them on the floor, then paused, and for some reason_,_ he felt oddly intrigued by just how _small_ her foot was.

He lifted it carefully by her small ankle, tilting his head and balking at the odd blue, sparkly color of her toenails. _What__ the hell? __This woman must have some alien **mutation**, blue hair, blue nails, blue eyes!? Makes you wonder, what **else** is blue...?_

He set her foot down, feeling silly, then walked briskly out of the room. He brushed his hands off on his pants as if they were filthy; but she was in fact the absolute opposite. The female had perfectly clean, pink feet. It seemed she too shared in his almost obsessive attention to personal hygiene.

He found the blonde old woman in another room, digging through a drawer, and cocked his head as he watched her, feeling oddly curious for whatever reason.

Her head popped up and she smiled, in that almost charming way, with her upturned eyes that seemed to open very rarely.

"There you are, sweetie! Here, put these on! I'll get the stain out of your pants, it just so happens to be laundry day anyways!" She said with a giggle, and handed him a plain white shirt with paint splatter, and a faded pair of blue jeans with various stains and patches on them.

He held the clothes up between two fingers and scowled.

"I can't wear these... they're _soiled!"_ He said incredulously, glaring at her as if offended. Bunny made a small frightened peep, and backed away. He narrowed his eyes at her and tried to comprehend her reasoning for such an offensive action.

"W-Well... I was just thinkin', maybe if you ain't too busy you could help me around the yard today..? If you wear something you don't care about, you don't hafta worry if it gets dirty! That's all...I'm sorry, Your Majesty." She said, bowing her head shamefully, whimpering.

She heard a sharp exhale of breath, then Vegeta was gone, as well as the clothes.

Bunny sagged her shoulders and tutted dejectedly, looking down at the floor.

"I suppose I musta' really offended him..." She started walking, then almost tripped over something on the ground. She picked it up and tilted her head.

_It's...his clothes! How did he get them off so **fast!?**_

Bunny giggled, then folded them over her arm, happily walking to the laundry room with a familiar pep in her step.

* * *

"Just stay still. If you make one wrong move, this could be deadly."

Gohan flinched back as Piccolo pointed at him with one finger and grunted after their bath and suddenly, he was wearing an orange and blue gi like Goku, and he had a small sword. Gohan looked down at himself and cheered happily, turning and admiring the clothes.

"Wow! This is awesome! Thank you Mr. Piccolo!" He giggled excitedly, pulling out the blade and marvelling at the sharpness of it.

"Can we train now?" He asked, following behind as Piccolo hopped up and took flight, silently. Piccolo frowned and eyed him from his peripheral, scoffing.

"You aren't worthy. Not yet."

Gohan's features dropped and he frowned. "Wha..? Why?"

They were headed back to break wasteland, Gohan realized with a sigh. He looked to Piccolo waiting for an answer, feeling almost heartbroken.

"First, you must learn how to defend yourself. You've barely even learned how to survive on your own. I won't train a little brat with no experience." He spat cruelly.

Gohan's eyes watered, his lower lip quivering. "But, you said...!"

Piccolo gave him an unexpected swat with an oddly lengthened arm, and Gohan fell off kilter, falling to the ground, wailing all the while.

"Piccolo!" He screamed, before landing hard on the ground, directly in the large footprint of a T-Rex. Gohan jumped up, shivering, then looked up to Piccolo hovering there in the sky, and started screaming angrily.

"Hey! This isn't fair! You're a _liar!"_ Piccolo crossed his arms and chuckled, then pointed towards an area in the distance and sent out a quick beam of light.

"What the..." Gohan said, puzzled. He watched as Piccolo quickly darted away, leaving him all alone.

Gohan's shoulders sagged and he looked up to the sky with a frown.

Then, he heard a familiar, low snarling sound that made his skin crawl.

"Oh no... don't tell me... it's behind me, isn't it...?" He gulped, then felt a hot breath on the back of his neck. Gohan dared to peek over his shoulder, and screamed in terror when he saw a mouth of pointed teeth opening up to snap at him, and he screamed, taking off running.

"I'll get you for this, Piccolo!" He cried out, hopping up in the air as the dinosaur nipped at his ankles.

Piccolo watched, shaking his head slowly back and forth with a snort.

_He's not ready just yet... First.. I have something I must do..._

He looked up to the sky once again, at the planets and narrowed his eyes. He closed them, seeking out the source of power the Mars Guardian had spoken of.

_It's far from here... To the East._

A voice said softly, and he nodded curtly, turning around and leaving.

_Sorry kid... I've got more important matters to attend to._

* * *

She sighed as she smoothed out the new red cheongsam that Propel had sewn for her, with short sleeves, and the familiar gold buttons that went down the front with gold stitching, accenting the teardrop cutout that displayed her bountiful assets. Kannon twirled a lock of blue hair and blinked, looking at her appearance and smirking.

_Sure is nice to have a rockin' hot body whenever I feel like using it... _The blonde haired Kannon thought on the inside; making the blue haired one giggle to herself, with upturned eyes so much like a woman she had yet to meet.

_Ok, now. You remember the plan?_

The husky little voice in her mind whispered, and she nodded, blinking her large pink and ruby eyes with long blue lashes.

"Kannon...? I mean, Pinchie?" Propel called from the crack in the door, and she turned around, smiling sweetly. The tall, black haired woman walked in the room and modelled a cobalt blue cheongsam dress, twirling and smoothing it down her shapely, yet toned body. It showed her long, pale legs, and her strappy white heels that complemented her creamy, smooth skin.

"What do you think...? Do you think he will like it?" She asked shyly, covering her cheek with one hand and flushing.

Kannon nodded, walking over and fixing the strap of the dress for her.

"Of course, you look lovely, dear. I think you're making the right choice, and don't worry, nothing will go wrong tonight. We can _trust_ Nappa." She said, and hugged her, even though she was so short her face nearly squished into Propel's bosom.

"I trust you... This is what I want.." Propel said softly, and wiped a small tear from her eye. "For me, and my children..." She said with a firm nod, and turned to walk out of the room, not before looking back to Kannon and winking.

"Good luck. If you need me, you know how to make the call." She said softly, and left the room to go find Reign. She was glad to go to him, and not Vulcane. Reign had always been kind to her; he had never hurt her, never even thought himself worthy of her for all the time she had known him. But they were both of Neptune, and in that they shared many similarities, in both demeanor and their beliefs.

After she had been changed, her mind began to shift through her memories with a clearer eye, the long years of brainwashing becoming undone as her wits returned to her, and she realized for the first time, that she loved the Neptunian man who had given her four children now; each of those children sweet and timid, unlike the children of Grenada who were unstable and troublesome.

Nevertheless; they were her children. She would do whatever she had to in order to protect them. Propel walked out of the hallway and met with Reign, who took her hand and kissed her softly before pulling back and smiling softly in his meditative way.

"Shall we?" He said carefully, and she nodded and rested her head on his shoulder as they walked out of the house and down the shore of the beach, their young trailing behind them, giggling playfully as they ran through the surf.

Kannon closed the door as they left and took a deep, shaky breath. She looked down at her red skirt that had a split up the side, her black kitten heels and lowered her head, squeezing her eyes shut. The tap of her heels echoed softly through the chamber as she knocked on the door, gulping nervously.

The door opened shortly after, and she met her eyes with his phosphoric gaze, that took her in hungrily as he grinned.

"Kannon, you _are...hmmhmm_.. Lovely this evening..." Grenada purred deep in his throat, licking his lips and grinning. She gripped the black tie of his obi and pulled his groin to hers, giggling coquettishly. Grenada darted his eyes around the room, sensing out Vulcane's ki.

"We are not supposed to...mhm... But our lord is occupied at the moment... " He murmured, uneasily, twitching his head to the side a small amount. She leaned closer to him, swallowing nervously, and parted the opening in his red gi to stroke his chest, tugging harder on his belt as she wrapped one black stocking sheathed leg around his waist and moved againt him sensually, her lace garters exposed as the dress rode up her thighs. Grenada chuckled devilishly, and seized her around the waist, his eyes alighting eagerly.

"Fine.. Hmhm.. _Why the fuck not! _If you insist, mhm.." He quivered, pressing her hips against his own harder, his ebony hands cupping her soft squeezable buttocks encased in the silky fabric. Grenada attempted to pull her into his room to take her on the filthy floor. Kannon shook her head and grinned back, slyly.

"I have an idea, that's awfully _naughty_, Grenada... I want you to fuck me down in the prison. I think the Saiyans enjoyed it before, why not give them a little show?" She said with a giggle, tracing her fingernail down his pale chest. A shiver of sheer disgust went down her spine.

Grenada cackled, tossing his head back with ecstatic glee. Then he picked her up easily and groped one breast, as he looked back down at her approvingly.

"Your tits are _huge_ in this form... Mhm...Let's go! I want to press them _right up_ against the cages! Hmhm! You can watch me fuck with those Saiyan whores too, they're fun... So wild, but not as wild as _you_.." He purred, then licked her throat where there was a circular pink spot. He licked it again and sucked directly on the mating mark from Nappa as he carried her to the cellar door and shoved it open with his shoulder.

Kannon squeezed her eyes shut and tried not to show her pain, as the touch triggered a sensitive reaction that she could not control, as he buried his teeth savagely in her neck in his eagerness. The mark throbbed painfully from the bite, signaling to her that this was not her mate. He continued to nibble and suck at her throat as he was carrying her down the stairs, turning on the lights so that all the Saiyans could see.

Grenada chuckled, looking around the room and musing on his surroundings.

"Hmhm... I have an idea that's just as _nasty_... You're a _dirty girl,_ aren't you?" He growled, warming up his hand and rubbing it vigorously between her thighs, against her silky blue panties. Grenada approached the large saiyan male laying across the slab, chuckling maliciously. Kannon nodded, with a choked back sob.

"Yes... I'm a dirty girl, Grenada." She said in a choked back cough of a voice, looking quickly over her shoulder to Nappa, who turned his eyes on her and swallowed the lump building in his throat.

"That's what I thought, you little **whore**... I can't believe that you came back to me so soon... after I fucked you so hard I'm sure that little pussy is still _aching_..." He growled, fondling her roughly through her panties.

"It's aching.. for you..." She said, closing her ruby eyes and biting her lip. He set her down on the table besides Nappa and reached for the lever to be sure the ki draining device was on. He hummed and walked over to Nappa's side, then grinned as he reared his hand back and slapped him directly across the face, the sound of his skin cracking from the blow breaking the silence. Grenada laughed unhingededly as Nappa only blinked, placidly, unaffected by the blow.

"See that?! He just _takes_ it, would you look at that? Just a giant freak." He scoffed, slapping Nappa again. Nappa turned his cheek and grit his teeth together, ignoring his intense urge to kill him at that moment. Not until Kannon was safe.

"I bet you're wondering, how _big...?" _Grenada implied, waggling his thick auburn brow at her. She glanced at Nappa, and he nodded subtly. She reached one hand out and began stroking Nappa's groin through his black shorts, to appease Grenada's sick inclinations.

Grenada cackled again and began loosening his gi to free himself as she began to pleasure Nappa, who made a soft grunt as he responded to her motions.

"See that, the big man likes it. Hmhm. Don't be shy, take off his clothing and start getting ready to feel that big saiyan cock rip open your pretty little ass, mhm, while I fuck your pussy." He spat out quickly, twitching as he began pleasing himself faster. Kannon frowned in disgust and looked to Nappa, who ground his teeth and growled lowly. She crawled over him as if to rub him seductively with her bottom, making Grenada moan with desire as she felt around for the steel bar behind her back.

"Take them _off him,_ _now_ you little **bitch**... get ready..." Grenada grunted, crouching as he watched, panting heavily. Kannon ground her bottom on Nappa harder to distract him as she reached back, and unlatched the bar.

"What-what are you doing, stupid bitch!? Hmm! Don't _let him go!"_ Grenada suddenly spat, pulling his pants up and quivering with fear as Nappa sat up, with a low chuckle, moving Kannon off the side carefully as he moved his wrists and the shackles fell away. He stood up, approaching on the Mars Gemini slowly as he backed away; frightened, directly into the bars of the male Saiyan's prison.

"You're one _demented little **fuck**,_ you know that...?" Nappa said lowly, a rumbling deep growl building up in his chest with his seething rage.

"I can't **wait** to kill you, but first I want to have my fun with you..." He chuckled, and Grenada flinched as there was a loud click, and the Ki draining devices were turned off. Nappa then shoved him up against the bars roughly. Grenada's arms were clutched painfully tight as the Saiyan man inside gripped his arms and chuckled maliciously into his ears.

"Meet Onioan, he's the former executioner of the royal court. A good friend of mine. He just wants to _play_ with you a little while we make preparations for our revolt." Nappa said, grinning. The cage door swung open; allowing the light to glance off of Onioan, a man just as large, if not impossibly larger than Nappa. He grunted back with a demented grin, drool spilling freely down his chin. Onioan's dark eyes glinted hungrily from beneath his heavy brows as Nappa tossed Grenada into the cage with him.

"Now, you two play nice. Remember Onioan, **O****nly ****p****lay. No kill**. You see, he's also mentally deficient like you, I sure hope he's _careful_ with his new toy." Nappa chuckled as he turned away. The big man grunted as he picked up Grenada like a rag doll and shook him around. Grenada cried out in fear, quickly lighting his hands and blasting the Saiyan's scarred face with green fire.

Kannon released all the saiyans and opened up a closet, where their armor had been stored, minus their confiscated scouters. They happily equipped themselves; the lean-muscled Saiyan named Candor with crescent shapes cut from his tail, donned his black and maroon battle armour, with a purple cape.

"It feels good to be in my armour once again, General." He said with a chuckle, smoothing his hands down the dusty black armour to clean off the cobwebs.

"It sure does, Lieutenant Candor." Nappa chuckled, as he strapped on his own gold and teal blue armour. The Saiyans all dressed themselves, as did Kannon after briefly hesitating. She picked up the remaining female's armour and pulled it over her dress, admiring the glossy red and black paint. Nappa looked to her with admiration and pulled her to him by her small hand, giving her a kiss on the cheek as he pinched the other, making her transform into her more powerful form.

"I'm sorry that you had do that, Kannon." He said softly, tucking her blonde hair back from her brow.

She shook her head and laughed gruffly, "It's all gonna be worth it, Nappa. The little _freakazoid_ ain't gonna touch me **ever again**." She said, and smiled as she finished strapping on her cannon blaster.

There was a high pitched scream from Grenada as Onioan was gnawing on his arm, covering it in drool. Nappa chuckled, and snapped his fingers at the soft-headed man.

"Onioan, **No eat**. We'll get to eat **lots** after. You don't want him." Onioan spat Grenada's arm out and laughed brainlessly, slinging his new toy over his shoulder as Nappa opened the door.

"Bdakka, you know what to do." Nappa said, as they opened the door to the cage where the female Saiyan; Rachana had carved a deep hole with her long nails.

Bdakka came forward, a stocky man with a wide frame. He brought his thick arms like limbs of a tree together and grunted, charging up large attack. Nappa wrapped his arm around Kannon and protected her. Bdakka made a loud growl and shouted as a rectangular beam of light formed from his open palms, blasting through the steel and creating a deep tunnel to the underground cavern.

Nappa came forward and stood before the opening, looking around at all the Saiyans and grinning.

"Are we ready?" Nappa commanded, pounding his breast with one fist.

"Are you ready to Fight!?"

They all pounded their chests with their fists, grunting and spitting the Saiyan Oath of Honor to him, each rule spoken in their traditional Saiyan language, placing their right fists over their hearts.

"I will not Disobey my Blood Vow.

Whether or not I go to battle to meet my death, I will go gladly to the Underworld, for the _honor_ of the Saiyan Empire.

I will not Betray my People.

I will not disrespect the people of the Saiyan Race, I will not fight against my own kind, if for the selfish sake of personal gain.

I will not go back on my Word.

If I swear myself to another, I will not go back on my word. I will _protect_ my ward to the best of my ability, from death, illness, harm, or malcontent; I am honor bound to my pride as a Saiyan to _never_ fail my chosen Ward.

Once Mated, I will not Separate

I will not _betray_ my chosen mate, if I do so, bring shame upon me. If I betray my mate, I will be prepared to commit myself to solitude until my death.

I shall Never betray the Saiyan Way

I shall never disrobe myself of my _Pride;_ I shall never kneel to my lowers. I will _fight,_ as long as I can, until I can no longer. I will not cut my mane. Nor maim my tail.

Last, I am at Last, A Slave to the Lunar Moon

I will fight in my true form if I must to the bitter end; I will not betray my comrades in battle. I am at last, true to myself and none other but the Saiyan Empire.

For Vegeta!

For Vegeta!

For Vegeta! "

* * *


	21. Bittersweet Schism

There was a heavy silence that hung in the air, below the low rumbling din of groundwater beneath the sandstone cave floor. A whimpering sound could be heard, then the jangle of a chain.

"Help me... somebody, please!" She sobbed, rolling her head on the cool stone. The woman closed her eyes, her long auburn hair falling over her pale cheek. Her voice caught in her throat as her sobs could not be stilled, though she tried to choke them down desperately.

"Help... help me... please..." She whispered, her voice growing hoarse as her eyes fell shut.

"Shhhh..." a voice hissed in the darkness, as soft steps scraped across the floor.

"Why do you cry so uselessly...?" He whispered back, coming closer. She avoided his gaze. A bone thin finger grazed her chin, stroking her delicate bone structure.

"Because... One day I will be free from this hell... when you are dead!" She cried out, turning her face away from his touch.

"How you have hurt me, my dear... I only wish to share in that power that flows through your veins... can you not see how weakened I have become?" He said, opening the parting in his kimono and showing her his near skeletal body. She backed up farther to the wall and screamed, pulling to be free from her shackles violently, causing dust to come out of the wall where the chains were hammered into it.

"I frighten you...? The man you once desired, the man you chose to bear children for...?" He said, now less gentle and more scathing as he fingered the tattered remnants of her dark red kimono, that at one time would have complimented her hair nicely. Vulcane knelt closer, and kissed her throat with his dry lips. She shook from fear, her bright amber eyes opening wide as she felt the hint of teeth on her.

"You know what must be done in order to strengthen me once again, don't you, darling? All I need is your kiss, and I will once again be the man you yearn for..." Vulcane hissed into her ear, his eyes glowing with a magmatic light as he was closer to his prize.

"I will never kiss you... you monster!" She cried, and thrashed around beneath him. Vulcane held the woman's arms still and forced his mouth onto hers, biting down on her lip to force her into submission; until she cried out from the pain, his hard fingers gripping her. He delved against her mouth with his, licking the roof of her mouth and growling as if tasting her wasn't enough.

The woman moaned loudly with distress as he forced her back farther. Tears fell down her cheeks as he at last hissed with satisfaction, the tears becoming shimmering gold as her power was taken from her.

Vulcane's hungry mouth on hers was surrounded by gold tendrils of light that made him open his eyes and seethe as he pulled her essence from her, gripping her arms until blood was drawn from his nails that slowly lengthened into her skin. Her screams were muffled as he fed on her energy, until she slumped against the wall and sobbed weakly, her bright golden eyes fading to dull brown.

"There, now, was that so hard?" Vulcane said; and his voice now was sharp and cutting, no longer rasping or reedy. He pulled back and took a deep inhale of air, grinning. His skin was no longer sallow, his black hair was now so dark it was like wet ink against his dewy flesh. He had been rejuvenated, as he pulled down his robe, he was no longer a wasted form. He was healthy, stark black curls glistened on his chest as he allowed it to fall and laughed.

"You make me feel so good, Tianshae. You make this old wolf feel like a tiger tasting blood for the first time..." He once again drew her eyes on him, forcefully gripping her face. She looked to him and sobbed, "Do not call me that name, I am not yours!" She cried, but was silenced by his hand cupping over her mouth. He stared at her with his third eye, the pupil turning red as she gazed up at it fearfully.

"Shh... Let us be reunited, my darling. Come now, let us go to the bed chamber. I will feed you the finest fruits, bathe you in the most fragrant of oils, I shall brush your luxurious hair, until it gleams like auburn fire once again... do not be afraid..." He purred, and Tianshae's eyes glossed over; a soft smile brightened her features.

"Yes, my love... Let us retire to the bedroom." She smiled, and he removed her shackles, covering her from the chill with one of the many layers of his robe. Vulcane dressed, and carried the weakened woman in his arms, up the cool stone and into the darkness.

* * *

They began their descent into the darkness, with her hand held tightly in Nappa's, Kannon was not afraid. She looked to him as his eyes glowed and illuminated the chamber, and smiled. Remembering seeing him for that first time, when he had gazed into her window with his eyes aglow like that, lighting up the darkness of the dark sea. She looked on as he scanned the darkness before walking forward; over the red rock that was so much like that of Planet Mars. He paused, and exhaled sharply. He looked down to Kannon and frowned.

"I thought you said you were the only female Gemini left here?" He said, and the others paused behind them. Kannon furrowed her brow in confusion.

"Yes, I sent Propel away for her safety. We were the only females left. He can't use me to regenerate if I'm with you..."Nappa shook his head and walked forward once again.

"I should have known, he would have something like that up his sleeve. That's fine by me, maybe now he'll be more of a challenge." Nappa snorted, then turned and beckoned to Onioan with one hand. The large man shuffled over, with the Grenada still slung over his shoulder.

"Onioan, down."

Onioan chuckled mindlessly and grabbed for Grenada, pulling him down and dropping him on the ground with a hard slam. Grenada screamed and clutched his skull as he cringed on the ground.

"Can't you-- Hmm! Have that idiot be more careful!" He spat, getting up on one knee and snarling. He clenched his fists and shifted his eyes around the room, cowering in fear of the many Saiyans surrounding him. Nappa chuckled, patting Onioan on his broad chest. The hapless beast purred when he was touched, kneeling to get down to Nappa's level to have his hair mussed with one hand. The man was no more than a beast at his level of intelligence; all he knew was kill, and eat.

"Heh, Heh, Onioan is kind, see? He just doesn't know his own strength." Nappa said, and walked away from him, staring down at Grenada.

"Now, you can either be dragged across the floor by him and risk having your skull crushed, or you can lead us out of this cavern and to your master. The choice is yours." Nappa said in a gravelling voice, pulling Grenada up by the red bandana strapped to his forehead. Grenada struggled; flailing his arms and legs, but Candor stepped over and restrained him so that he couldn't move.

"I'll never help you! Hmh! Just you wait for the Solstice! Mhm, just two of us will be more than enough to fight you filthy apes!"

He growled, his eyes glowing absinthe green with the raw power flowing from within. He cackled, stopping his violent thrashing.

"I know Vulcane's secret, but I will never tell you! You can rip my tongue from my mouth, and I will heal; tear me limb from limb; and I will heal! Hmhm!!" He grinned widely, the crazed look in his eyes falling onto Kannon. Nappa clutched his throat tightly in his hand and snarled.

"Don't you dare. I'll kill you before you have the chance, Gemini freak." He threatened, squeezing so tight that Grenada gargled in pain.

"So, you choose to do this the hard way?" Nappa said, and gave Candor a nod. Candor chuckled from behind Grenada, looking to back to Nappa and grinning.

He stripped Grenada down to his fundoshi and tore his gi to make strips of fabric, first gagging him, then binding his hands behind his back. They then bound his ankles, and dragged him from Onioan's ankle. Grenada yelped through the gag with fear with every clumsy step the huge oaf made, as they continued their way into the cavern. Kannon smiled and laughed every time he yelped, squeezing Nappa's hand and leaning her head on his shoulder. They followed the faint scent of tears, amidst the heavy scent of rotting decay.

* * *

The door opened with a soft click, as Launch stepped out onto the sand. Raditz was there, moving slowly as he went through the repetitions of his exercise; lifting the large weights up horizontally to the sky and back down to his sides.

"Raditz?" She said softly, watching as the dark hair down his back shifted and revealed more than she had expected to see. He was startled by her high pitched scream and whirled around, one of the weights going flying and pulverizing a palm tree. He rushed to her and looked at her, bewildered. "What's wrong? Are you hurt?" He looked her over, seeing she was frozen stiff, her eyes wide as she was uncharacteristically silent.

The platter with Iced Tea and glasses on it drooped, and Raditz caught it before it could fall, looking down and sniffing the contents. Launch at last exhaled, blinking as if brought out of a trance.

"W-Why... are you wearing a thong, Raditz?" She said, gulping.

He looked down at himself and remembered, when he saw the leopard patterned underwear.

"Erm... Something about getting your attention? I'm not sure. I understand the concept, but I highly doubt that this how you'd prefer to see me..." He frowned, and his cheeks reddened as Launch cocked her head to the side and made a musing sound.

"Hmm..." She tapped her chin with her finger, narrowing her eyes.

"I'll go get changed! It's indecent, isn't it?" He said suddenly, rushing forward to run indoors. Launch quickly pulled her gun out and poked him in the chest with it.

"Sit down, Raditz. I'd like to have a word with you." She said, guiding him back to sit atop the large turtle shell. He sighed and plopped down, dangling his hands between his legs and looking dejected."It's not my fault! It was all the old man's doing! I'm telling you!" He said, then made a low sound of discontent and frowned.

Launch took a seat beside him and started pouring them glasses of iced tea. He looked on curiously, licking his lips. She handed him a glass and he took it, sipping as he observed her closely.

"_You're_ wearing pink?" He said, plucking at the hem of her dress. Launch crossed her legs and huffed, "Of course I'm wearin' pink, I'm a girl ain't I?" She said, tossing her hair back and taking a drink.

"Well, yes, but... you hate pink. You also dislike dresses. Not that they don't flatter you." He said softly, and smiled as she looked away. "Well, I suppose I musta' sneezed or something while I was getting changed, let's change the subject!" She set the tray of iced tea down and sighed as she glanced over to Raditz, who seemed equally as embarrassed as her.

He looked down and swirled the lemon slices and ice around in the glass, then drank the rest. "This drink is refreshing. Thank you." He said, then she took it and refilled it for him. "Well, I saw you out here lifting weights and I figured you would be thirsty. That's all. I wasn't drawn out here by your muscular butt cheeks, if that's what you were hoping for." She said, then snorted as his cheeks reddened again.

"I don't understand how underwear like this is practical, if I were to wear this with my battle armour, my rear would be exposed!" He said, furiously.

Launch paused a moment, her mind making an image in her head of the impractical garment beneath his armour. She sputtered, making him jump as she cackled out with laughter.

"Oh, man, I can't imagine! It's bad enough you wear those little short-shorts!"

"They're space spandex! And they were destroyed during my transformation!" He growled back defensively. Launch sighed and patted him on the thigh.

"Cool it, Cujo! We'll get ya some boxers or something, I'm sure Launch would even sew ya a little tail hole! Heheh!"Raditz didn't find it funny, he crossed his arms and looked away from her stubbornly.

"I dislike being treated like some type of garment display, my appearance is not some type of amusing show for you! It's supposed to be arousing!" He growled, standing up and clenching the glass until it shattered. The iced tea splashed and hit him in his anger and dripped down him as he stared down at her.

"You Earthlings think that I am to be taken lightly! That our race are nothing but mindless primates to be made a mockery of!" He spat the words furiously at her, clenching his fist until the shards of glass squeezed through his fingers and blood dripped down his wrist. Launch looked up and him and her eyes darkened, her golden locks seemed to coil tighter as she stood, her tail lashing at her back.

"I don't think that!" She hissed back, and stepped closer to him, quivering as he glared down and his eyes pierced her with their icy glare.

"You think that I am the slayer of your beloved, that is why you will never give yourself over fully to me. In our culture, I would have torn his beating heart from his chest and presented it you, instead he incinerated himself. Is that to be seen as my fault?" Raditz pounded one bloody fist over his heart and grimaced with pain.

"I wanted to save him but the corruption was too far gone! The only thing I could have done is protect you, which I did! And yet, deep inside that hatred still lingers within you. Launch, tell me to go and I will return to my post. I will leave this planet, but if I am to ever come back it will be to destroy it." Raditz lowered his face, his shoulders shaking almost violently as he held in his emotion. His fear of what would become of him, of his love. Launch stepped forward and placed one hand on his, curling her fingers around his bloodied ones.

"Raditz...don't go, please... I know that's not what you truly want. I'll never blame you for what happened to Tien. That was none of our faults, whatever corrupted him is what killed him. You showed him mercy, I saw. You're a good man. I respect you, and our people. I may not know from first hand, but from they sound of it they were a race to be feared." She caressed his hand and came forward to rest her head on his chest as he stayed still, silent.

"I told you once before, I'll tell you again. I don't hate you, Raditz. I could never." She said, and sighed, as he relaxed his tension and placed his hand on her back tentatively.

"...Launch?" He said, searching her eyes. She smiled and placed one hand on his cheek, stroking it.

"I've been here all along." She said, and kissed him softly on the lips before tucking her chin in shyly. His eyes widened and he gazed down at her in wonder."I know how much you care. I know that you would never hurt us." Launch said, and he pulled her close to him and simply held her, staring at the violet sky washed in red and blue atmosphere. Raditz tightened his arms around her and kissed her head as he closed his eyes, holding the one most precious thing he had ever known.

* * *

_Ugh... What is that sound... Sounds like a friggin' jack hammer... _Bulma groaned, rolling over in bed.

_Whiirrrrrrrrrrrt Tink! Tink! Tink! Waaaaaaappp-p-ptttttt_

"Hey! Shut that goddamned thing off!" She bellowed into her pillow, as tiny pebbles hit the window and the side of the house. Bulma growled even louder and pushed herself up out of bed, feeling slightly dizzy.

"What the hell?" She wondered aloud, looking down at herself still fully dressed, and at the shoes placed neatly by the side of the bed.

"How did I get here...? Why do I remember being on a date with Vegeta? That's totally impossible--!" Her eyes widened and her hand flew to her mouth. The entirety of her day came rushing back as her mind cleared from its temporary intoxication.

"T-That's right, we kissed again! Well, I kissed _him_ this time... guess that means we're even?" She mumbled to herself, her cheeks turning pink. Her stomach growled loudly for sustanence and hydration, and fast as she looked down at it. Bulma got up and fished around in her purse for the capsule with the lobster in it and walked downstairs to the kitchen, somehow she felt even more odd knowing that it wasn't just a dream.

Bunny was standing in the kitchen, humming to herself as she was piling cold cut sandwiches atop one another in a large mound, wearing her gardening clothes and a large sun hat.

"What are you doing, momma? Didn't the gardener come today? I wish he wouldn't mow so close to my window!" She said, opening the capsule and taking the lobster out to microwave it for herself.

"Oh, hi sweetie! No, he couldn't make it today! I've got someone else to do it. Could you bring him his reward for such a job well done?" She said, smiling blissfully as she poured two tall glasses of ice water for Bulma and the mysterious gardener.

"Uh, sure... I guess?" Bulma said with a shrug, and hefted it up, then on second thought she brought her lobster out too so she could sit outside and get some fresh air.

Bulma pushed the door open with her arm and walked over to the patio, setting the many sandwiches on the table. She heard the lawnmower switch off and then sputter, with a bang. She turned quickly to the sound to see Vegeta leaning over the lawnmower with a frustrated expression, as it smoked profusely from the engine. He shook his head and aimed one hand at it, blowing it to tiny pieces with a quick ki blast then stomping it into dust.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing!? Who said you could destroy our lawnmower!?"

"This wretched contraption couldn't keep up with my speed! Next time, I'll just cut the grass with my ki." He said, crossing his arms and cocking his head at her with a roll of his eyes. Then, his nostril twitched as he scented the aroma of sandwiches wafting his way. Bulma gave him a speculative gaze as he made his way over then started shovelling them in at a rapid pace, his skin dewy with perspiration and dirt.

"So you're our gardener for the day, huh? How the heck did mom convince you to do _that? _Don't tell me she bribed you?"

Bulma said with narrowing eyes, as she pulled off a lobster leg and sucked the flesh out. He grimaced at her with an expression of disgust and moved his platter of sandwiches to the other side of the table.

"I would assume you'd prefer not to have your lunatic mother pulverized into tiny pieces attempting to control that grass-eating contraption... and gods, that crustacean smells _rancid! _It smells like Raditz's boots after we trudged through the decaying marshes of Grüdpa!" He said with a snort, forcing the fishy smell out harshly and stuffing more sandwiches in his face to attempt to mask the scent.

Bulma giggled, and dangled the lobster claw by his nose. He brushed her hand away with a growl and continued to make the many sandwiches dissapear down his black hole of a stomach, until Bulma had finished her food and was taking a long sip of water. Vegeta brushed the crumbs off himself and sighed, then took his glass of water and downed it, before peeling off his sweat drenched shirt and rubbing the ice on his brow.

"Your planet gets relatively hot, I must say it's invigorating. I prefer the heat over the cold, although it takes a lot to affect my hearty constitution." He said, seeming less agitated now that his belly was full and the source of the fishy scent was gone. Bulma sighed contentedly and crossed her legs on the patio chair, stretching and wiggling her toes."I love the heat, it makes me want to go swimming! Hey! We could go visit Master Roshi, and your friend there, Raditz!" She said chipperly, looking to him with hopeful enthusiasm. Vegeta rested one elbow on the table and scooped another ice cube from the cup, rubbing it on his throat and closing his eyes. Bulma found her eyes drawn to how it melted almost immediately when it made contact with his skin, then dripped down and parted the fine particles of dirt on his chest.

"Visit Raditz...? Hn, he's probably healed fully by now. Also, he is _not_ my 'friend', but I _suppose_ I could... I do have private matters to discuss with him." He said offhandedly, and shrugged.

"Really?! You would go with me, Vegeta?" She asked happily, leaning over and clasping her hands together before her chest. He exhaled sharply and tore his eyes away from her bulging cleavage the best he could.

"I warn you though, you _cannot_ wear that orange concubine swimming outfit from before. Raditz is a vile-minded lecher." He spat, crossing his arms.

Bulma giggled and nodded, "That's ok, I have lots of other bathing suits. I guess maybe I _am_ getting a bit too curvy for that one..." She said, and winked at him.

He shook his head and looked down, staring at her toes as they sparkled in the sunlight. Bulma watched curiously as he tilted his head, admiring the dazzling rainbow reflects from her glitter nail polish. The shade of the parasol above darkened his features as they danced across his skin. Bulma recognized his far-off gaze, much like the way he looked at the ruby necklace the first time they met.

"Vegeta?"

He blinked and put both of her feet in his lap, poking at her toes.

"How did your toenails gain this strange, sparkling blue anomaly? It's... fascinating..." He said dreamily, watching the sparkle with almost glassy eyes. Bulma shivered when he stroked the bottom of her foot with one finger, then lifted it as if appraising it's size and weight.

"Uhhh... It's called _nail polish..._" She managed to say, before he tweaked one toe, then backed away as if startled."I _painted_ them _blue_, Vegeta! What's gotten into you!?"

He glanced up at her quickly and smirked almost devilishly as she attempted to pull them away, with no success as he gripped her delicate ankles carefully.

She laid perfectly still and gulped as he released them and his hands hovered over her feet, his fingers twiddling eagerly; almost like a child gazing at a new toy on christmas day with his dark eyes, sparkling.

"Vegeta...?" Bulma felt her face growing warm as he stroked the tops of her feet, grinning, then inspected her nails once more, and took both feet and lifted them to look at them again.

"Do you... have a foot fetish?" She said suspiciously, then giggled as he stroked his hands down the pink soles of her feet.

"I am just..._curious,_ I suppose..." He mused quietly, then scooted closer and lifted one of her legs to rest on his shoulder, while he inspected the other foot resting on his lap, playing with it.

"I have to warn you, I am very tickilish... So if you tickle me right now, I'm not liable for where my foot goes.." She warned, holding back a giggle as he still had that adorably inquisitive expression on his face.

"How do you walk in those stilts with these tiny feet? Doesn't it hurt?" He said, and rubbed her foot, pressing his thumbs into the tender areas.

"My feet are killing me... _Ohh_..." She found herself moaning as his expert fingers worked out the tension, and closed her eyes. _A girl could get used to this kind of treatment... _Vegeta concentrated on massaging the one foot, then the other until Bulma was silly putty in the lawn chair, lightly dozing off as he watched her with a small smile.

"Get up, woman. We're going."Her head turned lazily and she blinked, smiling blissfully.

"I don't want to move... Mr. Magic Fingers..." She said sleepily, and Vegeta chuckled, "I'm glad you like my skillful digits, although I don't quite understand my sudden fascination." He said, and tilted his head, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

"Kami, you are _the _**_perfect_**_ man..._" Bulma moaned with exaggeration. Vegeta's eyebrows quirked up, then he grinned cockily.

"Not just any man, Woman. _A Saiyan Prince."_

"Ok, Mr. Perfect Saiyan Prince..." She said, then giggled as she wiggled her toes, admiring her own feet and blushing at how pretty he thought they were. For whatever reason, the way he admired her feet, and massaged them with such concentration made her feel oddly comforted; as if she were just so fragile and dainty to him. He must not have found her feet at all disgusting if he could massage them so thoroughly of his own volition.

"You know, you're _way_ better at that than the ladies at the nail salon. Those strong hands do wonders." She sighed, and got to her feet, still feeling like jello.

"I can't _imagine_ what it would be like to get a full body massage from you... must be _heaven_..." She sighed, and walked past him with a passing gaze, her half lidded eyes taking in his chiseled upper body and lingering there appreciatively. He swallowed as he watched her pass by, feeling his heart rate increasing from the way her eyes had lingered on him so lustfully.

_Why is everything about this female so _**_enticing_**_...?_ He lifted one hand to wipe his brow and caught the scent on his hand, and inhaled. It was like ripe strawberries, so cloyingly sweet and heavy that he shuddered, closing his eyes.

** _That's_ ** _ what it is. Her scent! It made me act foolish... but it didn't _ ** _feel_ ** _ wrong...? Likewise, she seemed to be very pleased by my actions._

He inhaled deeply and followed that sweet, luscious scent, until he was indoors. His senses honed in on her trail like a bloodhound. He followed the heavy musk until his feet carried his body without his own volition; then he thrust open the door to her bedroom with one hand.Bulma was standing by the dresser, holding an article of clothing in one hand. But it wasn't that which held his attention with a rapt gaze. He took in the sight of her pale, smooth flesh glowing in the sunlight; her many curves and divots, shadowy and soft. She wore pale pink lace undergarments so thin and delicate that the rosy soft buds of her nipples were visible, as Vegeta slowly approached her.

Bulma froze in place, captivated by his intense gaze that seemed to ensnare her with its pull, until she slowly backed away as he advanced until she was pressed against the wall. Bulma was trapped between Vegeta's thick, vascular arms as rested his palms flat to the wall.

An inch of air thick with tension hung between them, as his eyes travelled down, and back up again hungrily. Bulma quivered, feeling her knees want to give from the intense heat of his stare.

"V-Vegeta... I was... getting changed..." She whispered. Bulma's reaction had been so slow that even she didn't comprehend how it had happened, in fact-- she had barely resisted.

The corner of his lip twitched into a devilish smirk, then he trailed one finger down her throat, to her collar bone and leaned closer until she could feel his hot breath on her. He was taking in her heady scent of ripe strawberries, crisp ocean breeze, luscious azure Xenoba blossoms.

Bulma gasped as his tounge darted out and traced along the fullness of her breast, then stopped, then he tugged on the lace with his teeth. There was a rumbling, deep sound vibrating through him and into her that sent shivers through every nerve in her body. Bulma gulped for air and it took every ounce of her self control to bury her hands in his thick raven hair and clutch his head, pulling it away from her breast carefully.

"I don't think that this is very appropriate... I'd like you to go." She whispered softly, and looked down into his eyes that had darkened with his lust until crimson shadows formed beneath his dark eyelashes.

"Please, we don't know each other like that yet. I'm sorry..." She whispered, then the scent of fresh cut grass wafted into the window and he suddenly stiffened; scenting the sharp, earthy aroma of it. Vegeta backed away quickly all of the sudden, looking around the room frantically.

_How... How did I get here!? I was outside... Last I knew, I was following her through the door... _"No, no, I shouldn't have!" He said, then backed out of the room and turned away, and was gone. Bulma sunk against the wall and let out a long shuddering sigh, then placed one hand on her breast where her heart was beating erratically. _What just happened...?_

* * *

Staring down at a plate of fish and rice, was a frazzled looking woman with dark circles under her large, ebony eyes. She slumped her shoulders and sighed heavily, puffing her lower lip out and pouting.

"What's wrong? Not your cup of tea? I can have Yajiobe cook up something different, perhaps you'd prefer poultry?" Korin said, after polishing off his portion, then licking his paws clean. Chi-Chi shook her head, then pushed around the rice on her plate and ate a mouthful, deciding it wasn't too bad. She continued to eat while staring out at the violet sky that had only seemed to get darker and more foreboding as the days passed.

"Don't tell me you're giving up?" Korin said, sipping a cup of warm chai tea with extra milk. She shook her head, no.

"Well, I'm not exactly a genius on the female brain, you'd have to consult my friend Master Roshi on that." Korin said with a small shrug, twisting his whiskers.

"No thanks." Chi-Chi said, and glared at him, frowning as she pulled a fish bone from her teeth. The fat ronin may have liked to eat, but that didn't at all enhance his ability to cook.

Korin sighed, "Listen lady, whatever it is ya' got on your mind is affecting your speed. I thought you woulda' had my dragon ball and been on your way by now, but you've been moving as slow as a snail. That's no fun, so if you ever want a chance to get that ball, I'd advise you fess up!" He said, tapping his wooden staff on the table. Chi-Chi pushed her plate away and rinsed the deplorable taste of it out of her mouth with water before speaking, then let out an irritated sigh.

"First of all, you can't expect me to eat this garbage and be at my best! Second, I'm not even sure I want the damn thing now."

She said lowly, crossing her arms.

"_Don't want it? _It's what you came all this way for." Korin said, puzzled.

Chi-Chi sighed and rested her chin in her hand, frustrated.  
"Well, it's a long story... But I just don't know what I'm going to do anymore..." Chi-Chi lowered her head, deep in thought.

"I _thought_ I wanted to wish for my son, Gohan to be human. But would that be worth Goku's life? I feel like I'm betraying him by wishing for such a thing, but..."

Chi-Chi shook her head, loathing her own selfishness. "I'm a horrible mother and wife! I just wish I could have both!" She cried out, pulling on the long locks of hair that framed her face.

Korin contemplated on this, pacing back and forth before the balcony, tapping the floor in time with each step.

"The Eternal Dragon will only grant one wish, as I'm sure you know. You have to choose, risk your son's life to see your husband again, or risk your son becoming a beast and destroying everything you hold dear? Either way, the outlook is grim." Korin mused, looking up at the violet sky, gazing wistfully at the celestials, then smirking.

Chi-Chi's head rested on the table as she sobbed, feeling hopeless.

"I--I just don't know what to do!" She cried, wailing so loud that Korin flattened his ears to his skull.

"Calm down, it's not the end of the world. You still have time to decide, after all we have two in our possession already, and you have an entire year to make your wish before Goku's resurrection window closes."

Chi-Chi's head lifted, and she nodded, feeling slightly quieted.

Korin strolled over to the table and opened the small pitcher from which steam billowed, and poured her a cup of the creamy tea mixture."Here, drink this. It will help you relax. A calm mind is a powerful mind." He handed her the cup and led her to rest by the balcony to look out at the marvelous sky.

Chi-Chi sipped the tea and sighed, feeling it warm her belly.

"Now, let's think of this in a logical sense, before we allow our emotions to overwhelm our senses. You love your husband, your child, correct?" Korin said gently, watching as Chi-Chi's head popped up and she nearly spit out her tea.

"Of course I do!" She said in disbelief, appalled that he would even question such a thing.

"As expected. The thing is, I always had a hunch Goku wasn't... _quite_ human. That tail; although it's normal for me, it's highly uncommon for a human." He thought aloud, strolling back and forth as Chi-Chi listened, sipping her tea with large, saddened eyes.

"And his strength... whew! I couldn't have him as a student any longer, when he came back to me and asked for more training for the 22nd martial arts tournament, I had to refuse. I couldn't have the entire tower collapsed from his ridiculous strength!"

"Even before the 23rd Martial Arts tournament...? That's when I fought Goku." Chi-Chi said, somewhat distracted from her sadness by the memory that was in her mind, quite romantic. Her cheeks turned pink as she sipped her tea, causing Korin to pause and twitch his tail in confusion.

"You...fought Goku?"

"Yes, we sparred many times just for fun!" She said, smiling, then allowed it to slowly fall into a frown. Korin nodded, placing his paws behind his back.

"It makes sense that a strong girl like you _would_ catch his eye. That explains a lot, as a matter of a fact. Would you say, if Goku weren't as strong, and were perhaps... exceptionally _smart_, instead, would you have still fallen for him?" Korin asked, turning to eye her as she stared into the swirling cream in her tea, furrowing her brows.

"Would I... if he were smart instead...?" She contemplated, stumped by the question. Chi-Chi tried to imagine Goku if he were a scholar. Instead of the orange and blue gi, perhaps he would wear a scratchy tweed blazer, large glasses and a goofy tie. But he would be so smart, he could provide for the family like never before. Perhaps instead of living in the country, they'd live in the city, close to his laboratory.

"Hard decision, eh? I'll let you think on it, I don't expect you to answer right away. I want you to think long and hard on your answer. Think of it, as life or death. So even if the answer you have is deplorable; you _must_ answer truthfully if you wish to save the lives of your family and friends." Korin said sternly, then reached behind him and held the dragon ball up to the sun, admiring the glow of it as the red stars made shadows on his face.

"Right... I'll give it some thought." She said, and set her empty tea cup on the ledge.

"That doesn't mean I've given up on getting that ball, though, because either way, it's going to be mine!" She suddenly challenged, going into her fighting stance by reflex. Talking about fighting, about her family and friends sake; had awakened her determination once again. That, and the strong caffeine in the tea.

Korin chuckled softly and hopped up on the ledge, tickling past her nose with a sneaky tail as he did laps around the circumference of the tower.

"You're not scared of heights, are ya?" He teased as he whipped past her. Chi-Chi smirked, and followed behind quickly, ner nimble legs balancing carefully as she chased after the bouncing cat flitting all about, with the sparkling dragon ball as her persuasion.

* * *

_This is it, my chance to redeem myself for all my wrongs! To get stronger, to become wiser from my mistakes!_

Tien thought with a smile, as he floated down to the small planet that was so incredibly tiny, the car and house on it looked even larger in comparison. Tien flew down quickly and landed on the green grass, looking around excitedly. All around him was chaos, as people ran past him, huffing for a moment before realizing that he was standing there. Tien was knocked on his back by a orange blur, and landed on the grass with a surprised grunt.The blur skidded to a stop, then whirled around. Tien blinked up as he met eyes with Goku, and let out a huff of air. The gravity on this planet was slightly denser, not enough to send him to his knees, but enough that he was having trouble standing.

"Hi Tien! How did you get here!?" Goku said, pulling him up easily. Tien heard an echo of his name, then Chiaoutzu and Krillin appeared as well, gasping for breath.

"Well, I'd rather not say if that's ok with you. Where are we?" He said, as he stood and brushed grass of himself.

"Tien!" Chiaoutzu said happily, and flew to him, hugging his leg enthusiastically.

"A newcomer, eh? King Yemma's been surprisingly lenient these last few days." An odd voice with a heavy lisp came from behind him, and Tien turned to see the fat, light blue man with black sunglasses and a black hat. He bowed at the waist, in greeting.

"What an honor it is to be your student, King Kai." Tien said, then stood. The fat alien laughed, then strolled over closer, a chimpanzee trailing by his side.

"Student!? Who said you were my student?" He laughed, and Tien's expression grew somber.

"Oh, my apologies... I was under the impression that's why I was sent here. I'll be leaving, if that's the case." He said, frowning. Chaioutzu tugged on his arm and looked up at him with his large, pleading eyes.

"You can't leave, Tien! You just got here!"

King Kai turned his back on him and sighed, as he looked out at the sky."All of you are here because of one reason. I'm sure you recall, his name is Raditz. From what I have seen, these saiyans are no good... " King Kai said, shaking his head.

"No!" Tien cried out, and ran to King Kai's side. "That's not true! Raditz _is_ good!" He said, and placed his hand on his shoulder. King Kai jumped, turning around quickly.

"_Good!?_ Are you crazy!?"

Goku came up quickly and scratched his head, seeming confused.

"Wait, King Kai. Let's hear Tien out! I have a hunch that he may be onto something..." He said, his amiable features turning stern.

Krillin snorted, "Those Saiyans are NO good! None of them! They're evil, murderers, the lot of them!_ I say_, we get stronger, so we can go back and get **revenge**!" He huffed, crossing his arms.

King Kai harrumphed as well, shaking his head. "All of you, place one hand on me. I can see what's going on in the other worlds, if necessary. I'll show you, just how bad this Raditz guy really is!"

They all obliged, and focused intently on the picture coming to mind. The first thing they saw was Kame House, then, the two figures sitting outside. As the picture got closer, all their eyes widened individually as they saw just in fact what Raditz was doing. He was laying on a reclining beach chair, wearing nothing but a skimpy pair of underwear, picking segments of pineapple lazily off the fruit. Blonde Launch lazed beside him on the lawn chair in a green bikini, half snoozing on his chest as he fed her pieces of fruit.

"Wha... What are they doing?" Goku asked, feeling puzzled.

"He's just... _laying there?" _Krillin said, equally as confused.

King Kai's blue cheeks flushed pink as they all looked over his shoulder intently.

Tien frowned, feeling conflicted. The pose they were in was _very_ comfortable looking, and very close. If he wasn't mistaken, they looked like lovers, as they cuddled together under the warm sun.

"I've... seen enough. It doesn't feel right watching them like this." He shook his head.

"Well, his current activity doesn't tell us much, but it's at least a slight relief to see he's not currently harming anyone." King Kai said, and cut off the picture.

"What about the other Saiyan, Vegeta?" Krillin said, with a snarling tone.

"Ok... Vegeta... Where are you?" King Kai said, twitching his antennae.

They watched as Capsule Corporation came into the picture, and all gasped.

"Bulma!" Goku cried out, clutching his shoulder harder.

"Ouch! Just wait a minute, it's coming in."

Goku gulped nervously, feeling worried for his friend. The building grew closer, then they entered, to where they saw Bulma and Vegeta standing downstairs in a laboratory, looking at a small screen, seemingly getting along for the most part.

"What the heck are they doing?" Goku said, leaning in closer. King Kai grunted as they all leaned in to see what was on the little screen, curious.

"Get back! I can't breathe!" He said, and they moved back an inch, eyes still peeled on the Saiyan's strange activity.

"Vegeta!" Bulma groaned with annoyance, as he shook his head stubbornly.

"I won't wear that! You cannot expect me to demean myself in that ridiculous garb!" He said, snorting with abhorrence.

"Red, blue or black, Vegeta!? Just tell me your favorite color! Or else you're wearing pink!" She screamed back, and put her finger over the button to select the pink swim trunks.

"No!" He bellowed, and began wrestling her finger away, as Bulma laughed and practically _let him_ tackle her to the ground, giggling as the machine made a whirring sound and began to print out the pink shorts.

"No! Change it! Fix it now, Woman!" Vegeta cried out, almost with a tone of fear as the pink fabric came into sight.

"Not until you tell me your favorite color!" She screamed back, kicking and squirming all around as he tried to restrain her.

"He's going to hurt Bulma!" Goku growled, and his ki rose angrily as he watched the two struggling for dominance on the floor. Tien's cheeks flushed slightly pink as he watched, then looked to Goku with a sour face.

"I don't think Bulma minds, Goku...""Huh!?" He responded, and they looked back in on the strange activities the two were engaged in. Bulma had now grabbed the pink shorts and was struggling with Vegeta's pants as he looked down with equally as flushed cheeks, not even noticing her demented expression as she cackled evilly.

"You're going to wear these, whether you like it or not!" She said, and everyone backed up an inch at seeing Vegeta's heated gaze at her.

"Uhh, let's just say he's getting on fine!" Tien said, shaking King Kai's shoulder.

"Wait, let's see what he does next..." Krillin said, suspiciously.

They watched as Vegeta reclined back and practically submitted to Bulma's torture, looking quite obviously down her dress as she finally got his pants undone.

"There! Ha!" She said, and started tugging to reveal his boxers.

"Wait! My favorite color is blue! _Blue!"_ Vegeta suddenly said, grabbing her wrists quickly so she would stop pulling before something sprung out to greet her. She stood up and sighed, laughing.

"You could have just told me that, silly!" She said, and tossed the pink shorts into the shredder.

Vegeta buttoned up his pants and stood beside her, watching with veiled amazement as the blue swim trunks came out of the machine.

"Ok... Well, that was odd. But I guess we can see that he's not doing so bad, either." King Kai said, cutting off the connection."These Saiyans sure seem to be _comfortable_ on Earth, looks like they're a bit, uh...distracted at the moment..." King Kai commented, clearing his throat awkwardly.

Goku furrowed his brows, still puzzled. "But, why would Bulma try to take off Vegeta's pants like that? You don't think..." He said, his eyebrows raising with his delayed reaction. Krillin quickly covered his friend's mouth and shook his head.

"No! Don't be ridiculous, Goku! Bulma's just, I dunno, distracting him! Like he said!" He said, flustered. Krillin was surprised by Bulma's forwardness, but she had always been attracted to bad boys, if he recalled correctly... But she was smart, he was sure she could hold her own.

"Wait! There's one more! Nappa!" Krillin said, snapping out of his conflicted thoughts.

"Yeah, Nappa! That was the worst one!" Tien said, and King Kai nodded, obliging them to see what the last Saiyan was currently up to.

"Alright, Let's see... Nappa, Nappa..." King Kai hummed, his antennaes twitching. He made an irritated sound and tried harder, the appendages practically vibrated with the intense strain. They at last saw a picture coming into to view, the abandoned beach of East City. There was a blurred anomaly in the cliff wall, where King Kai continued to strain to see.

"What is this? I can't seem to break through..." He grunted, straining harder. The picture blurred again, then there was a pop as his antennae seemed to crackle with electricity, and they were all tossed on their backs from the force of the resistance. King Kai panted heavily as he got up, rubbing his burnt antennae.

"That's never happened before! I should be able to see into the wall!" He said with frustration, as the others got up and looked to another with confusion.

"Wait...I'm getting something..." He muttered, his mouth turned down as he focused again on the picture.

"Kami! What are you doing there!?" He asked, and they all placed their hands on him to see what was going on. They seemed baffled as they looked on, and saw the green Namekian known as Piccolo. He moved his lips, and when he spoke his voice was doubled."King Kai, what brings your vision to Earth?" He responded, from where he was crouched, hidden in some brush.

"I have the warriors of Earth here like you asked. Goku, Krillin, Chiaoutzu and Tien are all here. We're trying to see what that Saiyan, Nappa is up to. Can you see what he's doing down there?" King Kai said, seemingly he knew more of the situation than they had been aware of.

"Good," He responded. "I'm trying to figure that out for myself. There is a dark magic at play here, something only I could possibly understand. I'm not sure that they'll make it back in time. At the moment, the Saiyans seem to be making their move." Piccolo and Kami whispered, earning odd glances from everyone.

"I've been listening in. The cause for the misalignment of the Planets is the magic of a Gemini. They've taken one of my own captive and ensnared his magic. At this moment, there is nothing we can do to stop the eclipse from coming. It's all up to him. The one named Nappa." He said, seriously. King Kai balked, but then sighed. Kami was not the kind to make up stories.

"So, it's out of our hands for the time being." He said, soberly.

"Yes. For the time. Prepare the warriors, North Kai. I will watch over Earth from here. And Goku, Gohan is doing well." He said, some of Piccolo's voice drowning out Kami's.

"Gohan! He's ok! And Chi-Chi?" He said, hopeful.

"She left, with the dragon ball. Presumably, to wish you back. I did not stop her." He said, blinking.

Goku smiled, "Alright! But wait, can you tell her something for me?" He asked, suddenly looking urgent. Piccolo paused, sighing with irritation.

"What is it? I need to get back to business." He snapped, then Goku looked to King Kai and whispered in his ear. He nodded, and relayed the message to Kami before the connection cut out.They all looked to one another, as and followed as King Kai walked with his hands clasped behind his back.

"It seems the situation is more dire than we could have prepared for, boys. But that doesn't mean that your strength won't be needed in the future." He said, turning serious.

"Does that mean that I can stay?" Tien asked, hesitant. King Kai stopped in his tracks dramatically, twiddling his fingers.

"Perhaps... But, on one condition..." He said, a wry grin creeping onto his features.

Tien looked on, expectantly.

"Yes...? Anything, Master!" He said clasping his hands together eagerly.

"You must... make me laugh." King Kai said with a grin, and turned to face Tien. He balked, puzzled.

"That's all? Make you laugh? There's no trials, no tests of strength?" He asked, in disbelief.

"Nope. Do you think you're up to the task?" He asked, raising one fleshy brow.

"Uh, Is this really necessary? How is this going to help me train??" Tien said, becoming frustrated."It's not, but it will please me. Now. Give it your best shot." Kai said, smirking. Tien frowned, looking down at his feet.

Jokes were not his strong suit, in fact, he couldn't recall if he had ever even told one once in his entire life. Tien twisted his mouth around, wracking his brain for something that could possibly be laughable...

"Ok. Why did the chicken cross the street?" He said, hopeful.

"To get to the other side. Next!" Kai said, with a disapproving snort. Tien looked to the others for help, then thought of another.

"Knock Knock," Tien said.

"Whose there?" Kai replied, sighing.

"Leaf!"

"Leaf who?"

"Leaf me alone and stop knocking on the door!" Tien said, shouting.

King Kai froze in place, his upper lip quivering. He almost laughed, but not quite. Tien looked to the others for help again, and they huddled together and whispered."What? How is that funny? I don't get it." He said, then walked up to him again, his eyes meeting his with a glint of challenge.

"You can tune a piano... but you can't tune a fish!" He shouted, and King Kai stiffened once again, this time his cheeks turned red and tears formed at the corners of his eyes before he burst out in laughter.

"Yes! I did it!" Tien said, and the others all patted him on the back and hugged him in congratulations as King Kai rolled across the ground laughing uncontrollably.

"I still don't get why that was so funny, but it worked." Tien said, with a shrug. King Kai finally got his wits back, and stood up, still giggling a little here and there.

"Alright, you got me! Tien, here's what I want you to do. My first test for you all, is to catch Bubbles!" He said, and the others all nodded. They had already been trying before Tien interrupted.The chimpanzee stepped forward, scratching his rear.

"Uh, ok. That shouldn't be much of a challenge." Tien said, then turned to watch in surprise as the monkey took off, and everyone else with it, once again knocking him down onto his rear.

He sat up and rubbed his head, groaning.

"This is about to be the hardest training I've ever done. And not in the traditional sense."

* * *

There was an earth shaking roar that shook to the very foundation of the rock he was standing on, as Gohan challenged the dinosaur once again."L-Listen here, you! I've had it with you! I'm going to teach you a lesson!" The angry little boy shouted, unsheathing his sword. The T-Rex charged forward, and as he did the rock fell away from beneath him, and Gohan jumped up into the air easily, landing atop its head and giving it a good crack on the base of its skull.

The T-Rex's eyes rolled back dazedly, then it slowly fell forward, and Gohan took the opportunity to hack off a thick segment of it's already chopped off tail. He jumped down, holding the meat over his head as the dinosaur fell off the cliff.

"Oh, well. I s'pose that's what he gets for being a big meanie. Man, I'm starving! This will make a great meal!" Gohan said, as he turned and strolled away, holding the round slice of meat like it was nothing.

"Maybe Mr. Piccolo will be back in time for dinner, I can't wait to show him this!"

* * *

"This may not end well, I'm warning you, woman." Vegeta said lowly, as he carried her over the vast stretch of ocean.

"Oh, don't be so negative! It'll be good for you to see your old buddy! I can't wait for you to meet everyone, I hope the whole gang is there!" She said excitedly, clinging around his neck and watching the water go by. Vegeta narrowed his eyes, sniffing sharply then grimacing.

"No, only two." He said, not commenting on how or why he knew there were two. Bulma looked up at him, puzzled by his disgusted expression. She didn't have the time to comment though, before they landed in the warm sand and she jumped out of his arms to run towards the house.

"Hey! Is anybody home?" Bulma yelled excitedly, running in her dark blue bikini that was perhaps only slightly less revealing than the orange one, and it matched Vegeta's quite well, besides the small white modesty skirt that covered up very little. Bulma was nearly stopped in her tracks as Vegeta zipped in front of her, looking down at the couple sprawled on the chair, snoring. He took one hand and pounded it on Raditz's shin, causing him to grunt and open his eyes.

"Wake up, third class!" He snapped, with a nasty tone that made Bulma look over with concern."Give me a fucking minute, your royal highness..." He murmured groggily, pulling Launch to him closer and sniffing her hair. She opened one eye a crack and mumbled contentedly, then closed it again.

"Launch?" Bulma asked, tapping her on the shoulder.

"He _said_ give us a goddamned minute, sheesh!" She growled back, baring her teeth.

Bulma and Vegeta both flinched back, looking to one another with shared surprise. The other two at last stood up, visibly having been indulgent in one too alcoholic beverages, as Vegeta pinched his nose shut.

"Gods, you smell like rancid fermented malt and rodent!" He snorted, spitting out the scent. Launch walked over and gave both of them a once over, her tail coming out and moving around curiously as Raditz followed, his hands resting on her shoulders protectively as he made a low growl in Vegeta's direction.

"Lower your hackles, Raditz! Your female reeks like decaying vermin! Where did you get this female? She smells terrible!" He said, still covering his nose. Raditz smirked, running his hand down her side and grinning down at her.

"She found me. This little female is half Saiyan, half Gemini. She nursed me back to health, and she has exceptional healing abilities." He bragged, as Launch blushed towards Bulma, who looked on in wonder.

"You claimed her, didn't you? That's why she reeks like you... and another male's musk, her father." He said seriously, with a grimace. The two exchanged a long glance, and Raditz let Launch out of his grasp to go talk with Bulma as the two of them walked away to speak privately.

Bulma sat down beside Launch on the lawn chairs, admiring her new appendage, but too squeamish to actually touch it.

"Soo... tell me all the deets, Launch? How long have you been bagging that hunk?!" Bulma whispered, and Launch shook her blonde locks with a husky laugh, pouring the two of them glasses of spiced rum Mai Tais.

"Well, I haven't actually gone that far yet, but you would _not believe _what I saw the other day... " She said with a low chuckle, darting her eyes. Bulma nodded, eager to hear. She whispered in the other girl's ear for a minute, and they both giggled, taking another sip of their drinks.

"What about you and shorty there, or is he too much of a buzzkill?" Launch said lowly, elbowing her. Bulma smirked, then whispered back in her ear. Launch burst out laughing with a snort, almost spitting out her drink.

Vegeta and Raditz glanced from their peripheral at the two females, then back to one another. The two of them stood across one another, with Vegeta having to shamefully crane his head up to meet the taller Saiyan's eyes. They seemed to be in a long staring contest, or trying to kill another with their eyes as Bulma and Launch returned their attention on the two.

"What the hell are they doing?! I thought he wanted to talk to him?" Bulma said, nudging the blonde at her side.

"Oh, Raditz is like that sometimes. I don't get it! Yours too?" She said, shaking her head.

"Yeah! It's like he forgot how to talk! He just _sits there_, with his eyes closed!" Bulma remarked, not comprehending the odd Saiyan behavior that was most noticeably male.

"Stubborn! That's what he is!" Launch snorted, and they both leaned back in their chairs, sipping on their drinks and watching the show playing out before them.

Raditz glared down at the shorter Saiyan, his eyes travelling, examining the blue swim shorts, the strange gold necklace. Vegeta looked down and raised one brow incredulously at Raditz's choice of clothing.

_Couldn't you spare me the sight of your hideous undercarriage? Don't tell me your female made you wear that as some sick mating ritual! _Vegeta said telepathically.

_You're no better, what is that? _**_Jewelry?_**_ Did yours dress you? _Raditz retorted back._She is not my female! The blue haired female is my ward. She is _**_royalty_**_. _Vegeta growled back, curling his lip.

_Ah,__ I see. Just your type. Entitled. She reeks of your scent. Have you been __**rubbing**__ on her? _Raditz teased back.

_No! Rubbing...? Why? _**_Should_**_ I __be __doing that? _Vegeta darted his eyes away, suddenly bashful.

_We can speak further on that later, if you wish. _Raditz chuckled softly, and rested one hand flat on his shoulder.

_You've already begun to claim her, whether that was your intention or not, Prince Vegeta. She is a fine female. Now, why have you come here? Surely not just to flaunt your new acquisition?_

Vegeta shrugged away Raditz's hand, brushing his shoulder off.

_Do not presume to touch me, third class. There are more pressing matters we must speak of that are more urgent than females. It's about... Frieza. And... other things, I'm sure you recall, where that female's blood hails from?_

Raditz nodded, glancing at Launch.

_Yes, I know. I have things to discuss with you as well. Of the Gemini, I have some information that may be of some concern. I've taken care of the main threat. _He said, crossing his arms and looking down at Vegeta with a smirk.

_Not quite. There's more. Why don't you tell me over a spar. Or are you much too inebriated to match hands with your superior? _Vegeta sneered, cocking his head as the two began to rise up slowly into the air._I am unaffected by the human's intoxicants, I think you'll find that I am much stronger than the last time we fought. _Raditz grinned, tilting his chin back cockily.

_Oh? Is that what that revolting scar is?_ Vegeta answered, before they met one another's fists, clashing in the air and causing Launch and Bulma to look up and gasp.

"I take it that means they're getting along...?" Bulma said, looking to Launch.

"Must be. Let's go take a dip, whew I'm hot!" She said, fanning her face.

Bulma chuckled, "Are you sure it's the heat, or are you hot and bothered?" She said, waggling an eyebrow.

"Sheesh! Get your mind outta the gutter!" Launch said, standing and smiling at Bulma as the other girl removed her white skirt.

"You're going to have to enlighten me about the fun things you can do with that tail..." She said, and Launch slapped her shoulder playfully as they walked to the shore.

"Females," Vegeta scoffed, as he buried his fist in Raditz's cheek. He darted to the side as Raditz sent his back into his sternum, rocketing him backward.

"You're distracted, Your Highness..." He sneered, then his eyes lit with enthusiasm as Vegeta rose his ki up.

"Never!" He growled, and surged towards him.


	22. Chosen Dilemma

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel its necessary to add some new information here, for anyone who is curious on the current Power Levels, sorry if my math isn't perfect. Zenkai doesn't always make sense either so I had to guesstimate in some places.
> 
> Using Kanzenshuu's Power Level Guide
> 
> As well as my own theories
> 
> Rage adds 100- 1000 points
> 
> Zenkai/Launch Healing Boost adds anywhere from 1,000-10,000
> 
> Gemini Planets Boost adds 5,000- 10,000(?)
> 
> Oozaru 10 times Strength
> 
> Raditz
> 
> • Beginning Power: 1,500.
> 
> • Enraged: 1,600
> 
> • Zenkai Near Death Boost #1: 5,000 Fight with Piccolo Goku
> 
> • New Base Power: 6,500
> 
> • Enraged form: 7,500
> 
> • Ōozaru: between 30,000 and 150,000
> 
> • #2nd Boost: Fight w/ Tien -Near Death Hit in last injury, healing by Launch adds 10,000
> 
> • New Base: 16,500
> 
> • Enraged/Bulk-Up: 17,500
> 
> Vegeta
> 
> • Base Power: 18,000
> 
> • Enraged 19,000
> 
> • False Super Saiyan 300,000?
> 
> • Fight with Grenada 250?
> 
> • Ōozaru: between 40,000 and 180,000
> 
> • New Base (Unstable ki): 18,250
> 
> • Rage: 19,250
> 
> Nappa
> 
> • Saiyan Saga Base Power: 4,000
> 
> • Enraged: 5,000
> 
> • Zenkai Boost from Battle of the Great Blue (Torpedo Blast, Reikitzen) 2,000
> 
> • New Base Power: 8,000
> 
> • Rage/Berserk? 9,500
> 
> • Ōozaru: between 20,000 and 140,000
> 
> Thoughts? Hope that answered any questions you may have had. :) I know power levels aren't that important, I just like to keep track.

There was a crackling in the air as the two warriors met one another with a flurry of blows, Vegeta laughed cockily as Raditz flew back, growling.

"I suppose I do feel a _slight_ difference, but you still have a long way to go before you can hope to harm me!" Vegeta sneered, entertained by causing Raditz to become more enraged.

"I'll show you exactly how much pain I can inflict!" Raditz growled back, irritated.

He rushed forward and reached to bear hug Vegeta into submission, but only scooped the empty air as Vegeta ducked. His agile opponent darted down and pummeled his abdomen with two fists, causing Raditz to crouch over. Raditz connected his own fists, then brought them down on Vegeta's head.

This time, Raditz was the one cackling cruelly as Vegeta rubbed his head angrily. The Prince then shook off the dizzying feeling and attacked him with even more gusto, wrapping himself around Raditz's back and yanking his tail up, at the same time as he wrenched his head back by his hair painfully.

"You little cretin! You still fight just as dirty as before!" Raditz grunted, as Vegeta laughed and tugged hard enough to arch Raditz's back. Raditz turned his head and sunk his teeth into Vegeta's fingers, snarling viciously. Vegeta clutched Raditz's skull and tore him away, holding his bloodied fingers then clenching them into a fist.

"How dare you, third class scum! You'll die choking with the taste of my elite blood in your throat!" Vegeta growled, glaring at the man who quickly backed away and snickered maliciously; unphased by Vegeta's empty threat.

"I may be third- class scum to you, but I do not stoop low enough to drink the growth-stunted blood of puny princes, Your Highness...With all due respect, I have no wishes to diminish my height." Raditz sneered, cracking his knuckles.

Vegeta could only bellow out an enraged growl as he blasted towards Raditz, taking his anger out on the hard, offending flesh. The two then became a whirling dervish of fists and legs, as Bulma and Launch watched, dumbfounded.

"You! You oversized hedgehog!" Vegeta cried out as Raditz finally escaped his wrath, slinging him over his shoulder so that he was face down and sputtering, disgusted by his proximity to Raditz's exposed backside.

Vegeta smirked and tweaked him in an area the girls couldn't see, then Raditz shot up, howling in pain, and whirled around to face him, his eyes bloodshot with anger.

"That was entirely unnecessary!" He spat, and strained as his muscle quivered, sweat beading his body, his long hair began to lift from his back. After the sneak attacks, they were both growing tired of childish games, sharing a simular boost of energy fueled by rage.

"It is necessary, because you're much more entertaining to fight when you're pissed off!" Vegeta responded, in an amused voice as he brought forth another wave of power, without even breaking a sweat.

There was a gust of wind as they rushed past, sending a mist over Bulma and Launch as they shrieked and shielded themselves from the whipping air. Bulma looked up, gulping.

"Is Vegeta... really that strong? I can't even see where they went!" She gasped, now fully drenched from the shockwave. Launch lifted one hand from the water, brushing back her hair so that she could watch as well.

"They're right over there, you didn't know how powerful he was just by the feel of his presence?" She said, narrowing her eyes. Launch was still getting accustomed to her new senses. She wasn't sure if that was the right way to describe the immense power she'd felt brewing within him, but it was too unmistakably strong to ignore. She was used to the steady, controlled pressure of Raditz's energy. She knew that he was strong by his own right, but this other saiyan was just _ridiculously_ full of an erratically fluctuating ki.

"No... I didn't know... wow." She said with a dreamy sigh, and Launch chuckled, lifting her tail out of the water, then squeezing water from it.

"There's a lot of things I found out about being a saiyan once I was awakened. Even though I'm only a half-breed, my strength is inhumanely high. Not to mention, lots of other weird things..." She mused, placing one hand on her cheek, blushing as she watched the two fighters. Her emerald eyes following Raditz as he was encased in a ruby aura now, in a close-range battle of blows with the other saiyan.

Bulma looked to Launch and smirked, "You _like_ him. In more ways than one..." She said, and giggled. Launch shook her head and snapped herself out of her fog.

"_What?! _That pervert? He's a creep! A-A caveman!" She blushed even fiercer, her hands covering her now red hot cheeks.

"Besides, he likes me much better when I have blue hair...I'm just not his type!" She said, squeezing her eyes shut, ignoring the feeling of Bulma suddenly shaking her by her shoulders.

"You know that's not true! I'm sure he likes you either way!" Bulma had seen the way Raditz showed her off proudly, that was a clear enough sign that he valued both versions.

Launch shrugged, "...I just know he looks at her alot **differently** than he looks at _me._ But it's not as if he can cheat on someone who I'm practically attached to, but... sometimes that's how it feels, like I'm just a third wheel." She said, somber, and began walking out of the water.

Bulma followed, trying to think of words to say that would comfort her. She would have liked to investigate further into Launch's biology, but she'd never had the opportunity.

"Launch, don't say that ...! How do you know that's how he feels? If he wants to be with her, he has to **accept** that you are a part of her!" She protested, having to run after Launch who, just walking was moving quicker than her at her very fastest.

Launch went inside, slamming the door behind her, and Bulma followed, huffing for breath. "Launch!" Bulma yelled, pulling the door open and taking after her, causing Raditz to turn his head and lose focus. Vegeta took advantage and socked him in the jaw. Raditz allowed himself to fall back, holding one hand out before himself haltingly as he scented the air.

"That girl, she's-" He furrowed his brows together, his hand weakening as he was distracted.

"Fight me, right now!" Vegeta growled, and blasted at Raditz with a blue ball of ki. Raditz shook his head and dodged, returning his attention to the fight, sending out a flurry of ruby ki blasts back in Vegeta's direction.

...

_What am I doing? Am I that freaking stupid?_ Launch asked herself, as she ran upstairs to her bedroom and fell onto the bed, sobbing.

_I'm such a idiot! Why did I get it in my head that if tried to be more like her, he would like me?! When I kissed him earlier, he didn't even kiss me back barely, if you count kissing on the **head** as passionate! Like I'm a little kid or somethin'!_

She punched the bed as she buried her face in the pillow, squeezing it and screaming into it as her tail fuzzed up and lashed wildly around her back.

_I just feel so weird! Like I'm going crazy! I must be nuts if I wanna jump his bones! Not only that, but **cuddling**?! Yuck!_

There was a soft knock on the door, then she heard Bulma's scratchy voice calling her name in a worried tone. Launch sat up, rubbing the tears from her cheeks violently and huffed, "Come in."

The door creaked open and the pretty azure haired girl Launch knew as her one and only female friend came in and sat on the edge of the bed.

"Are you ok...?" She asked, tucking a long strand of hair behind her ear.

"I... don't know. Maybe I'm just feeling under the weather, you know? Chick stuff." Launch said, shrugging. Bulma nodded knowingly, with a sympathetic smile.

"Do you need anything? Something to eat, pain medication maybe?" She asked softly, and Launch shook her head, no.

"No thanks, I ate earlier... I don't feel so good... maybe it was those Mai Tais we had..." She said, covering her mouth. Launch got up quickly and ran to the bathroom, the door swinging shut behind her as she rushed to the toilet. Bulma gasped, rushing to stand by the door as Launch voided her stomach contents.

"Oh, Launch!" She said, feeling bad for her friend as she rested one hand on the door. She knew nausea sometimes was a symptom of PMS, which could be set off by any number of things, such as a strong smell, or a bad food combination.

"I'll get you something to drink, ok?" Bulma said, walking downstairs. She had her head lowered as she went towards the kitchen, then felt something solid stop her as Raditz held her back with one hand. Bulma looked up, gulping nervously.

"What are you doing?" He asked, suspiciously.

"Oh, um, R-Raditz! Launch is very sick..."

The tall man's eyes widened worriedly as he looked straight past her and towards the bedroom where he could hear her pained, heaving sounds. He moved past Bulma, feeling irritated when she grabbed his arm and tugged.

"Wait! Don't go in there, I'll take care of her... she would be embarrassed if you saw her that way!" Bulma bumbled to make an excuse, waving her hands. She was startled when Raditz curled his lip and growled at her, ripping his arm roughly out of her grip.

"Ow!" She hissed, holding her hand that had been injured earlier that day.

She then felt a shiver down her spine as she heard another more familiar growl and was suddenly behind Vegeta's back, held securely to him with his tail, one arm wrapped behind her back.

"Don't you fucking _dare_ cause harm to my ward, or we will finish our fight once and for all, with your splintered bones sticking out of your bloody back!" Vegeta retorted back angrily, in a rasping growl.

Raditz snorted at him, "A heartless prick like you knows _nothing_ about protecting his female! My mate is not well, now leave me to tend to her!" He growled back, and stormed up the stairs, slamming the door shut behind him. Vegeta stood stiffly a moment, until Bulma touched his back, gently caressing. She sensed his tension and tried to calm it.

"Let's give them a minute, Vegeta. You would be worried if **I** were sick, wouldn't you? If I'm your 'ward', as you say, then Raditz is doing kind of the same thing for Launch, isn't he?" She said softly, then gulped as he turned around briskly.

Vegeta narrowed his eyes at her, offended.

"There is a large difference between a _mate_ and a _ward_, foolish woman! First of all, the clear **lack** of mating! Second, I would never act so idiotic because of some bitch in heat that I would risk my own life! He should be punished for speaking to me like that!"

Bulma crossed her arms and growled back at him, if she couldn't get through to him with words, maybe she could speak his stubborn monkey language. He paused a moment, then looked at her questioningly.

"Of course you wouldn't, because you don't _know how_ to treat a lady right like Raditz does! That's what you do when you truly care for someone, you would look out for them _no matter what! _That's why she actually wants to be with him, he's a kind person!" She snarled right into his face, she was only an inch or two shorter, which made her the perfect height to glare right into his cold eyes.

_Is she fucking **daft**? All I **do** is constantly run around saving her ass, but she's unconscious for most of it! ...Of course, Bulma wouldn't know just how enslaved she's made me!_

Vegeta's face was so taut, Bulma couldn't discern what he was feeling beneath his constantly angered expression, but it surely had more to it than anger as he held her gaze and grit his teeth.

"Well, I'm not exactly what you'd consider a _kind_ person like that weakling! You wouldn't survive a goddamn _day_ without me! That's my kindness to you each and everyday, the prolonging of your **life**!" He snapped, and Bulma gasped, instantly translating his words to make the most out of his harsh words; looking past his uncouth phrasing as she had become accustomed to.

_Is that his idea of a gift? I suppose it's pretty damn good, I would take being alive over stupid flowers anyday, not that he would _ ** _ever_ ** _ be crazy enough to do that..._

" ...Ok, Vegeta. I understand. Thank you, I wasn't doubting your skill to protect me. No matter how rudely you go about it, you're very capable..."

Bulma patted his chest apologetically, gulping for breath. Her air felt shoved out of her lungs as his tail clenched tighter around her waist, holding her so tightly their chests were pressed together after he spoke the conflicting words; his tail showing an unexpected emotion he didn't know he felt. Possessiveness.

Bulma looked down at the tail, then up to him and blinked, feeling her heart race as he was unflinching in his heated gaze, with an odd reddish flush below his eyelashes. She tore her eyes away and pushed on his chest, but couldn't move.

"Vegeta! Let go!" She cried out, frustrated and embarrassed; but he hesitated to answer, his hand going uncharacteristically to the back of his neck and rubbing there, uneasily.

"Well, if you would stay still; perhaps it will loosen its grip. I'm not doing this of my own volition!" He said, as Bulma looked back to him. He looked away quickly, the tips of his ears reddening.

"My tail sometimes moves on its own. Well- oftentimes, but it normally stops once I punish it. Unfortunately, I can't do that at the moment without harming you. It will not move until I'm absolutely certain that Raditz does not intend to harm you. So, just... get _used_ to it."

"You mean... _WE'RE **STUCK** LIKE THIS!?_

"It would seem that way." He responded coldly, just as freaking thrilled as she was.

Vegeta attempted to walk with her attached to him, but she stumbled and nearly fell. He exhaled sharply and paused, hefting her back up.

"Where are you going?" Bulma said, squealing when he grabbed her by the thighs and wrapped them around his waist in a provocative position.

"V-Vegeta!" Bulma tried to hold herself away, but as he walked she shifted back uncomfortably close to him.

"Hold on tight, damn it! I'm hungry, if we have to stay like this awhile, we may as well make ourselves comfortable, seeing as Raditz has chosen to mark his scent throughout this entire house." He said, opening the fridge and nearly hitting her head off the door.

"What?! His _scent!?_ What are you, **skunks?!**"

"Don't compare me to that idiotic meathead, Nappa! My scent is more robust, less sour than a rodent like Raditz or Nappa!" He spat back, and earned a look from Bulma like he was insane.

"Well, spray yours out, then we can go home!" She said, shaking him as he sniffed a container of leftovers.

Vegeta raised one brow at her and smirked.

"I can't quite do that in this position, now can I? Unless you _like_ being covered in urine." Vegeta said, then chuckled darkly before scooping a handful of cold noodles out and shoving them in his mouth.

"Eww! You're disgusting!" Bulma gagged, slapping at him for his nasty comment.

"At least put that in the microwave and use a fork! I'm hungry too you know, I bet _Raditz_ would have shared his food with me!" She whined, pouting.

Vegeta gulped his food down and his eyes widened, "Don't tell me you're _attracted_ to that pathetic low-level?!" He said with disbelief, nearly dropping her in his shocked reaction.

Bulma giggled at his telling reaction, and pressed her chest closer to his teasingly. If they were going to be stuck like this, she might as well have some fun at his expense.

"Hmm... _m__aybe_... He certainly is tall, isn't he?" She purred, getting a good rise out of him.

"Tall doesn't mean _strong_, I guess you'd enjoy being dead? You know, you're quite height-challenged yourself!"

Vegeta snapped, then slammed the fridge door shut and growled deep in his chest at her, then set the container of lo mein down and darted his eyes around the kitchen. "Where's the blasted microwave?" He said, and Bulma snickered, pointing. Vegeta brought them to the microwave, then waited for further instruction.

"Here, let me." Bulma said, and he placed her bottom on the counter, flushing as he attempted to pull back as far as possible so she could maneuver the container into the microwave. "There... Now, set it for two minutes and thirty seconds.. that should do it." She said, quickly pressing the buttons. Vegeta sighed with annoyance, watching the food go around and around in circles. Bulma leaned her hands on the counter and whistled, swinging her legs back and forth.

"Stop that!" He snapped, and Bulma snickered, wrapping her legs around him, then resting her head on his chest.

"I'm tired! Do you think we'll have to sleep like this? It's getting really late..." She pouted, Bulma wasn't sure why, but she was purposely pushing his buttons to see how far she could go, before he flipped out.

"We are most definitely not sleeping together, not _like this!" _He growled, shoving her off.

"Why...? Are you afraid you'll poke me with your morning wood?" Bulma said suggestively, flinching back a little as she finished her sentence.

Vegeta furrowed his brows, "_Morning wood...?_ What's **wood** got anything to do with it?" He said, snorting.

He was watching the seconds count down stubbornly as Bulma crafted an incredibly evil idea.

"You know... when things get _hard_ down there? Where we're _touching_ right now?" She purred seductively, and pressed her hips against him, wiggling herself against the rough textured front of his swim shorts and pretending to moan for emphasis. Vegeta's eyes widened and he flinched back, pulling on his own tail and grunting in pain as he thrashed around violently to try and free himself.

"Jeez louise, _calm down!_ I was just teasing!" Bulma said, looking at him funny. Her cheeks flushed brightly, she meant to only tease him, but she had to admit it sort of... felt good. She didn't expect his exaggerated reaction though, although she supposed she preferred it to what she intended to cause...Vegeta finally calmed when she stopped moving, and rested his hands on the counter, panting.

"Do not do that **ever** again, if you wish to retain your purity as royalty, it wouldn't be wise to tempt me at this moment when I have the advantage." He lifted his head and sneered at her cockily as he moved closer. Bulma gasped as she suddenly felt a firmness pressed against her bikini bottoms. She whimpered sharply in reaction and he withdrew back regretfully, seething in annoyance.

_That's all it takes to frighten her, a teasing little jab? This woman obviously isn't fit to mate, even though **she** offered! Pathetic..._

"You really are a foolish female. It's almost as if you _want_ to be raped, only to have your womb stripped of my offspring? Don't you see how _easily_ I could have done it? Why do you **think** my tail has us forced into this _ridiculous_ position? My base instinct is to claim you before Raditz does any more harm, and I will not do so **gently**." He growled, biting back his own frightened reservations on the matter. He had to _end_ any silly notions she had that such a thing was desirable. Bulma flinched back, her eyes watering.

"Y-You... would _do _that...?" She whimpered, as the microwave beeped and he opened the door to retrieve his food, completely ignoring the sobbing woman attached to him. Bulma cried harder as he stuffed noodles in his mouth, rolling his eyes at her pitiful sobs. At least the foul smelling tears helped quell the problem she caused.

"Just consider yourself lucky I have enough willpower to resist those primal urges. Some with less refined blood wouldn't." Vegeta said truthfully, sliding his eyes on her.

"I-I don't ever want to talk to you again, you're a h-horrible person! You don't care about me _at all!"_ She blubbered, sobbing uncontrollably. Vegeta paused, agitated, he'd only made their doomed situation even worse now with his comments.

_You better not hurt Bulma, or else I'll blast your goddamn rocks off! _A husky voice suddenly shouted in his mind, making him freeze.

_Who the hell are you?! Raditz's bitch?! _He growled back telepathically.

_I'm a **bitch** alright, wanna see just who the **hell** I am?! I'll get up out of this fucking bed right now and tear ya a new one!_

Vegeta felt their twin spikes of ki from across the house and grumbled, gathering her up in his arms to waddle awkwardly over to the couch with his lo mein, noticing a slight let up in her incessant sobbing. He sat them on the couch and sighed, holding the container between them as a barrier. Bulma sniffled, her stomach growling.

"Woman. It's time to eat, now." He said, and stabbed the fork in the food, wrapping the noodles around it then raising it to her mouth. Bulma opened her teary eyes, stunned that he would offer to feed her.

_This_ _is going too far, now I'm **feeding** her? _He was now aware after his spar today with Raditz, that this _also_ was a stage in Saiyan courtship; to feed the female your own food as a show of peace.

_She **asked** for it, and she's not getting it from Raditz on my watch, that's for sure._

"Open your mouth." He demanded, and she obeyed, shyly opening her mouth as she hiccuped between gasps of breath.

"Breathe properly or you'll choke," He growled, then put the food in her mouth.

Once she finally began chewing, her mouth stuffed with food, the sobbing had stopped and he could finally think clearly.

"Princess Bulma... I do not mean to violate you, that would go against my code of honor." He said sternly, watching her eyes widen as he addressed her by her actual name, and _Princess_ at that!

"I do not intend on having offspring, **ever**. Even with a...comely female as yourself. My race is a **dead** race, and it will _stay_ that way." He said with apathy, then swirled the noodles around and popped them in her mouth once again. Bulma's heart raced, as she struggled to chew, her throat bobbing up and down with her restrained sobs.

"I _had_ to stop you somehow before I lost my control. I did not do so properly, for that I should apologize. It was inappropriate for me as your guardian." Vegeta said, so quietly that it was a grating whisper. His eyes lowered to her exposed belly, as he thought back to the eviscerated female victims; their reproductive organs ripped from their bodies after Raditz had finished with them, dumping them carelessly wherever he had violently used them. Vegeta quivered, and shut his eyes at the terrible thought_. _He tormented himself with a terrifying image of Bulma, her brilliant azure eyes staring blankly; speckled with blood, her legs splayed open, hanging off her hip bones like raw slabs of meat...

Bulma at last swallowed her food, and looked down to Vegeta, feeling conflicted. What he said was unacceptable, but, he **had** apologized, and he seemed truly sorry, in fact; he had a haunted expression and was visibly quivering.

"Prince Vegeta, I forgive you. I'm sorry, I won't do it again. It was stupid, I feel like a such a dumbass whore..." She said, with a small scoff. She allowed her tears to trickle down as he looked up at her, with a pained expression.

"You are **not** an idiot, Woman. Nor are you a whore. You are one of the most intelligent females I have ever known. You are... _worth more_ than your body alone. I would be cruel to treat you as such, like Raditz... you see... he..." Vegeta gulped, quickly looking away. He'd almost divulged too much! He shook his head, thinking.

_W_ _hy did I almost tell her that? It would surely frighten the wits out of her if she knew what the 'kind' man in the other room was more than capable of at one time!_

He was startled as he felt her hand caress his cheek, Bulma looked down at him curiously; her eyes dried of tears.

"_What could Raditz possibly do that **scared** you, Vegeta? I didn't think you were scared of **anything**._.." She whispered, and he closed his eyes, enjoying the comfort in her stroking hand. His tail subconsciously began to stroke her lower back soothingly, as he took a shaky breath and debated on how to answer her question.

"Fear is a natural response. All men should listen to their fear, and face it. Are you still frightened of me...?" He asked, staring down and swirling the noodles around the fork. Bulma's hand covered his, and he pulled back as she raised the fork, giggling softly.

"Open up!" She said, and he did so, to his shame, his eyebrows raised with his sheer surprise that she returned the favor. She simply wanted him to listen while she spoke, and he knew that, so he sat and patiently chewed.

"Vegeta, If I were _afraid_ of you, do you think I would allow you to hold me so intimately like this? Even without the tail! _Feeding me, _as if we're infatuated teenagers on their first date?" She giggled, watching his bashful reaction. Bulma wrapped more noodles around the fork, and he took it, gulping.

"You're stronger than even Goku, that I've figured out. And he was _very_ strong, it seems most saiyans are." She said as if she were highly impressed, popping even more food in his mouth. Vegeta's brows furrowed, his cheeks bulging with food.

_Kakarot..._ _?_

"But, as strong as you are, you've never actually hurt me! I couldn't tell you how many times Goku accidentally stepped on my toe and broke it! One time, he fractured my arm trying to carry me while running, and so many other times he left me _covered_ in bruises..." She said lightheartedly, then heard a muffled growl of protest through his mouthful of food and shook her head, flapping one hand dismissively.

_He **broke **her toes!?_

"Not on purpose! Goku was well, how do I put it...? Mentally handicapped? -Just _slightly_. But, you've had multiple opportunities to hurt me, and you haven't!" She said, and smiled down at him as he swallowed.

"Of course I haven't! I can control my strength, unlike some of the fools in that family!"

Vegeta's tail tightened, making Bulma cough. He loosened it with a good amount of straining, it was still far too stiff at the moment to voluntarily move it.

"Well, from what I can gather, Raditz did some nasty things to women, is that what you're afraid to tell me...?" She said, resting one hand on his neck. Vegeta nodded, still not meeting her eyes.

"Yes... things that would surely make you scream and cry far worse than I can...you will never befall that fate, not on my watch." He said, and coiled his tail around her back, eyes hardening.

"Thank you, Vegeta..." Bulma said, setting the empty container aside and relaxing on his chest, which was very warm, although stiff. "Can't you try to relax? I'm so tired..." She whispered, and Vegeta slowly relaxed his tension so that her head could rest comfortably, leaning back and closing his eyes. Bulma breathed in deeply, enjoying the masculine scent of him that wasn't ripened or sour at all, but was more woodsy, almost smoky like sandalwood, the heavy undertone of rich caramel practically making her mouth water. How was it she had never smelled it before? He was practically _oozing_ the smell like an expensive cologne.

"Mmm, you smell really good..." She mumbled sleepily, then curled her hands around his back and fell into a deep sleep, feeling content after having her hunger sated, with a warm body to snuggle against. Vegeta's breath halted after hearing her say such a thing, but he kept his body's reaction as calm as possible. Her admission of approval of his scent was permission to court, for a Saiyan. He shook his head, _She__ couldn't possibly know that. She's only a human._

Thankfully, Raditz's scent overpowered Bulma's, and if it were not for that, he knew he wouldn't have been able to control himself again.

Vegeta opened his eyes in the darkness, stroking one hand down her back and petting her long, beautiful hair.

He admired the way it seemed light lavender once again in the bluish hue of night, so soft and fragile unlike his own stiff, coarse hair. He pulled a thick section of hair to his face and rubbed it on his cheek, bathing himself in her sweet scent.

_"__Silly__ woman... It's your scent that is lovely..." _He whispered, not knowing why he smiled so gladly as he accepted her empty offer, but he didn't think much of it, she was definitely asleep. Vegeta's tail finally let up, but he refused to let go of her, fearing she would wake up. Instead, he wrapped his arms around her and moved them both to lie down, holding her closer as he drifted off to sleep, lulled by her scent. Bulma mewled softly from the movement, feeling the tightness of his tail was gone, she cracked one eye open. Simply watching his peaceful expression, a small smile softening his features and making him look more youthful, in fact, incredibly... handsome.

_Vegeta would never say that, would he? I must be dreaming...! _She thought, fleetingly, then smiled herself as she closed her eyes, dreaming of a fairytale fantasy, full of wonder, romance, and handsome alien princes...


	23. Decisions before Deception

**A/N: Warning: Graphic depictions of violence ... But you should know to expect that by now ;)**

* * *

"Dang it, scooch over!" A loud voice startled Yamcha, as the bright morning light washing over him caused him to squint his eyes.

"Get outta here, you old coot!' Another voice piped up, as he at last rubbed his face and stirred, groaning. His entire body ached, felt wrung out and hung to dry as Yamcha attempted to rouse himself.

The bed shook as Puar wrestled with Master Roshi, a flurry of limbs and hisses made Yamcha shove them both off onto the floor.

"Come on, guys! I'm trying to sleep here!" He croaked, then coughed, feeling like his throat had been scoured with steel wool.

The old man pouted, "B-But I wanna sponge bath, _damnnit!" _He crossed his arms and huffed, grumbling angrily.

"I'll **give** you a reason to be on bed rest if you two don't **get out** of my room!" Yamcha attempted to yell, but his voice came out hoarsely and he gave up, shaking his head as Puar attempted to drag the old man out of the room, with a good amount of protesting.

"Oh! Excuse me... Ah, are you a patient, sir...?" A soft voice interrupted the commotion, and the racket was stilled as Nurse Miyuki walked in the room, clutching her clipboard to her chest nervously, her shoulders narrowed as she squeezed her legs together to avoid the old pervert's gaze.

"Uh, they're with me...He's my grandfather, Miss." Yamcha lied, with an uneasy chuckle. The nurse walked into the room and looked around with concern.

"Well, I'm sorry but you'll have to wait outside, sir." She said delicately, bending at the knees to lend him a hand up; the motion crinkling her white dress.

Master Roshi seemed more than able to oblige, as she led him out the door with a smile, patting his back kindly and pointing him to the café. Yamcha exhaled, as some of the tension left him. He grinned sheepishly as she walked over, straightening the IV drip and replacing the bag. He watched as she took his vitals, nibbling on the end of her pen in between writing down numbers.

"Hm, you're recovering well. How are you feeling today, Yamucha?"

He blushed, for whatever reason just the utterance of his name from her lips made him feel like a bashful teenager once again.

"Uh, better. T-Thirsty." He said, clearing his throat. Miyuki crossed her legs from where she sat in the chair beside his bed, resting the board on her lap.

_White stockings. White sneakers..._He found himself thinking, distracted as she read off the meal options for him, he nodded as she checked off the ones he would like.

"Oh, Yamucha... That's right, we recieved a call on your behalf. From a.. hmm,_ 'Fancy'?"_ She said, putting the pen to her chin and knitting her brows together at the sort of cheap sounding name, unlike her own.

_Miyuki. Beautiful Snow. _He then thought of his own name, Yamucha. Dim Sum. Then snorted, _What kind of parents name people after food...?_

"Oh, uhh..." He frowned, looking at his hands wringing in his lap.

"Can you have them tell her I don't want to see anyone...at least, not her..." He said quietly, clearing his throat.

"That can be arranged..." Miyuki said, tilting her head at him curiously. She shook it quickly and stood, brushing off the back of her skirt.

"I'll right be back with your breakfast!" She said chipperly, with upturned eyes as she turned around and walked away. Yamcha had do a double take when she turned around, blinking with wide eyes as a white, puffy tail swung side to side from beneath her skirt, like a long haired cat's tail...

_A-A-A Tail?! That's...new! _He gulped, then shook his head again. Anthropomorphism was common, even though it was seen much less these days with plastic surgery, magical rings that concealed one's true form; there really was no clear explanation for the oddity that occurred at times. He rubbed his chin with one hand, thinking deeply as Puar hopped up on the bed.

"Yamcha? You there...?"

"Uhhh...a t-tail..she-she.." He muttered. Puar balked at Yamcha's words, raising one furry brow in disbelief.

"Huh? A _tail? __That's_ what's got you all googly-eyed? I haven't seen you stutter like that in a long time..." The blue cat mused, crawling up on his shoulder and feeling his forehead with one paw. It _was_ after all, quite hot. Yamcha laughed dazedly, then leaned back on the pillow and stared up at the ceiling, laughing nonsensically.

"Yamcha!? You really _are_ out of it! Nurse!" He squeaked, flying up to peek out the door. Miyuki saw him and seemed surprised as she rolled a cart of food down the hall.

"What's wrong, Puar?" She said, coming in and pushing the cart beside the bed.

"I- I think he has a fever!" He exclaimed, and Miyuki ran over to Yamcha, then placed a hand on his forehead and gasped.

"Oh! His temperature is up so much higher than just a few minutes ago! How is that possible!?" She cried out, looking around the room frantically, until deciding to simply tear the blanket off him and violently pull open the buttons on his hospital smock. Yamcha's face turned red like a thermometer about to explode as she placed one hand on her mouth and awed at the chiseled shape of his body.

"You seem... very _h-healthy..." _She said, her cheeks pinkening as she diverted her eyes quickly, fetching him a cup of water and elevating the bed. She put a straw to his mouth and he drank gratefully; his redness receding gradually as he gulped it down eagerly.

Yamcha downed the glass of water until the straw made an obnoxious slurping sound and she pulled it away, giggling.

"My, you sure were thirsty..."

He nodded, sweat dripping down his temples.

"Eugh, and _sweaty_..." She grimaced, then gasped, covering her mouth reproachfully as Yamcha's grin faded and he sunk down dejectedly.

"Um! S-Sorry! Here, let's get some food in you. Then you can have a nice, cool sponge bath, how does that sound?" She said, patting his hand apologetically. Yamcha nodded eagerly, and Miyuki giggled, pulling out a small, brown paper bag.

"Oh! And don't think I forgot you~!" She said, shaking the bag temptingly. Puar perked up his ears, suddenly very interested in the contents of the bag.

_"Food? Food! Fooood!~"_ He cried, which probably sounded like a meow to anyone else, as she put a small dish on the bed beside Yamcha and filled it.

"Thank you for feeding Puar..."

Yamcha smiled, feeling genuinely thankful as she set the platter on his tray and sat down beside them, her bright smile calming the thunderstorms that rolled in his mind at the thought of Fancy coming to find him... That was the last thing he wanted, he could honestly say he never wanted to see her face again as he spooned oatmeal into his cheek, frowning.

"It's a lovely day, why don't we open the blinds, hm?" Miyuki said, light washing over her as she stood. Her concealment charm faded a small amount and small white whiskers curled from her cheeks, but when she turned around, they were gone. Yamcha lifted one brow, curiously.

"Oh, hehe... You're probably wondering about this?" She purred, turning and curling her soft tail around in the air.

He gulped, shaking his head.

"I-I wasn't staring! P-promise! It's just..." He gaped, feeling his mouth becoming parched again. Miyuki giggled, her blue eyes lighting in the sun and turning to needle points.

"No need to worry, Neko-Mimi don't bite, well, not unless we _want_ to." She winked, grinning with her tiny fangs. Yamcha's eyes widened, in awe.

"No... It's very.. uhh.. int-ere-sting?" He said, speechless as Miyuki sat back down, moving her tail aside carefully.

"Hmph...I suppose, to a regular human.." She snipped, closing her eyes and tilting her face away, aloof.

"Oh- Uh, well! You know, I had a friend with a monkey tail! Now _**that** was weird!"_ He said, gesturing exaggeratedly.

Miyuki blinked, looking at him oddly.

"_Monkey..? _Eugh..." She crinkled her nose, shaking her head briskly. Yamcha chuckled as he ate breakfast and conversed politely with her, feeling somewhat content; forgetting the many worries piled upon his shoulders for just a moment.

* * *

"Yeeooowww!" There was a blood-curdling yowl, then a triumphant bellow as Yajiobe sat straight up in bed and groaned, tired of the aggressive woman and her loud voice.

"Can't a guy get any shut eye around here?" He grumbled, then swung his legs over the bed and slipped on his sandals, shuffling out wearily to see what all the commotion was.

"I got it! I got it! I got it!~" Chi-Chi yelled and sang excitedly, swinging Korin around by his arms and attempting to make him dance with her. Yajirobe surged forward as his master's tail puffed up, pulling out his katana, and widening his stance.

"Hey! Watch it, lady! He's not just some common house cat, y'know! Show some respect to Master Korin!" Yajirobe growled, narrowing his beady eyes as Korin escaped her grasp and quickly righted himself, puffing with offense.

"Alright, alright! You got the ball! But you never answered my question! Would you still love Goku if he were _smart_ instead of _strong?"_ Korin panted, leaning on his staff.

Chi-Chi straightened, polishing off the dragon ball on her purple cheongsam, then tucked it into a small sack at her side. Chi-Chi smirked, and placed her hands on her hips.

"Ok. I have your answer, and it's obviously No. I wouldn't. Goku, as dense as he may be at times... Is just, Goku. Changing him wouldn't make me happy. How _dare_ you presume that I would be so shallow!" She snarled, furrowing her brow at the small cat as he chuckled, unsheathing his claws and looking at them as if unfazed before polishing them on his chest.

"It wasn't my intent to offend you, no... I have my reasons. Some that may make more sense to you later." He said, and turned away from her.

"Why can't you just tell me_ now!?" _She growled back, and Korin snorted.

"You're a smart lady, why don't **you** figure it out? Now, dont'cha have some dragon balls to go collect?" He said with a curt purr, and snickered.

Chi-Chi relaxed her stiffness, sighing. Her legs shook from exertion, of having chased Korin night and day with very few breaks.

"Yajirobe, fetch the nice lady a senzu bean, would ya?" He said, and Yajirobe nodded, sheathing his sword, then fished around in his kimono for a small green bean. He held it out to her and she grimaced, picking up the bean warily.

"What..? You want me to eat _this? _Raw?"

"Just try it and see, why don't ya?" Korin said with a smirk, and Chi-Chi popped it into her mouth, crunching it a few times, then swallowing.

"Ok...?" She said doubtfully, then gasped as she felt a springy feeling in her muscles, as they bounced back, now rejuvenated, even her back pain was gone!

"Wow! I feel great!" She said, chipperly, stretching one leg out and flexing her calf with a pointed toe, grinning happily as she felt the healthy reaction of her firm muscles.

"Give her a few more, just in case. Oh, and Yajirobe...?" Korin said, turning and eyeing him seriously. The fat ronin stiffened, the last thing he wanted was multiple obligations!

"You're going along with her. At least until she finds all the dragon balls. Then you can come back if you wish."

Yajirobe's jaw dropped and he shook his head. "I'm not climbing down that tower again! You're kidding me!" He protested, before Korin hooked the loop of his kimono with his staff and tugged him forward threateningly. He spoke lowly into his ear, as Chi-Chi looked on, in bafflement.

"Yajirobe... I've had just enough of your lazing around my tower... You **will** escort this...er.. _nice_ lady, and keep her out of harm's way. She has a very important mission and I don't want it fudged up, see? Also, I need to air out the place!" He said, then turned around briskly, bopping Yajirobe firmly below the waist. The fat man grunted, then growled with dissatisfaction.

"Fine. But when I get back, I'm not doing _squat!"_ He grunted, turning around quickly to pack a bag of essentials. Korin smiled at Chi-Chi and waved her on to follow him to the other room. Chi-Chi looked around curiously as she followed the cat, eyeing two large water jugs, a koi pond, and a small vegetable garden where beanstalks, and various other vegetables grew.

"Before you go... " Korin mused, turning to look at Chi-Chi, then gave her a sharp sniff.

"Explain something to me, and I may have a proposal that's to your benefit." He said slyly. Chi-Chi shivered in response.

"A cat has advanced olfaction. Not only that, I have... _senses_ beyond any mortal comprehension. The mark on your thigh. It carries a very... _familiar_ scent. Overall, your blood has a composition that's slightly... **more** than human."

Chi-Chi's eyes widened, and her entire neck and face became red, her hands flying to her face.

"How? How do you know that?! You _pervert!"_ She gasped, then clenched her fists to her sides and growled as the hair tightly wound in a bun atop her head almost seemed to prickle with her anger.

"Whew! Feel that energy?" Korin said, a drop of sweat beading on his furry brow.

"You ain't human, lady! At least not since ya got it put there!" His tail puffed up, then he shook his head.

"Come on, I'm a freaking 800 year old _magical_ fucking cat! Just... _entertain_ me." He pleaded, clasping his paws together innocently. Chi-Chi sighed, her face paling.

"Oh, fine... The mark, it's, well. A _love_ bite. Goku bit me there one night, during... y-you know! Then, I bit _right_ _back_ down on his shoulder until I drew blood! He deserved it!" She growled, then Korin nodded.

"Mhm. Mhm... You swallowed his blood?"

Chi-Chi darted her eyes, narrowing her shoulders. She had... It had a strangely _good_ taste. She nodded, not wanting to divulge anymore of the private information.

"That's why. Well then, I don't see why you should have any problem." He grinned, then strolled over to the two water jugs and lifted the lid off of one.

"What... You mean? The Ultra-Divine water...?" She whispered. Chi-Chi quivered as she peeked down into the watery depths; feeling a icy breeze creeping from within. Korin nodded, becoming stern.

"Yes. You are more than capable of drinking it, I'm sure. No ordinary human can drink it without feeling immense agony. But you, I believe will withstand it. Your strength is extraordinary, it can only become more amazing if you wish to make the journey to fetch it."

Chi-Chi stared at Korin, then the dark abyss below. She gulped, thinking of Gohan, all alone in the woods. No one to protect him. No Goku to save them.

"I'll do it." She said softly, then placed her fingers on the edge. Korin nodded, and Chi-Chi shimmied her body inside before disappearing into the darkness. Yajirobe gasped as the woman disappeared, then slowly backed out of the room.

"Yajirobe..." Korin warned.

"You can't make me go down there again!"

"Fine. You'd probably only slow her down." He snipped, then tossed the small satchel of beans in as well, before placing the lid back on. He brushed off his paws and sighed.

"Finally, it's time for a long nap!" He said, then yawned and curled up on a pillow beside the jar.

* * *

She could only see the inside of her sun bathed eyelids as the woman lied listless, too weak to even open her eyes.

"Tianshe... I should have known... No matter. I won't let you go hungry." A silken voice curdled the contents of her stomach as she cringed from his touch, the effects of the hypnosis wearing as Tianshae attempted to feign obedience.

She whimpered softly, feeling his warm hand stroking her cheek and grazing through her hair, affixing her luxurious auburn locks into a bun with Kanzashi hair sticks, pulling two strands out gently to frame her face.

"Mmh.." She murmured, feeling herself being wrapped in silky robes, then opened her eyes weakly. He looked down on her, smiling warmly. Vulcane looked so youthful, he was glowing. His citrine eyes alight with an energetic fire, as his own strands of long black hair fell over his pale face, his dark eyebrows. Tianshae shuddered, as he smiled down on her and kissed her forehead.

"Just relax, I'll make you feel strong again." He said, the vibrations of his deepened voice vibrating through her and sending shivers down her spine. She felt the motion now of moving, as he was taking her from the warm sunlight and back down into the cool, crystalline caverns.

"No ! No !" She managed to gasp hoarsely, squirming in his arms. Vulcane chucked softly, the rasping hiss like the shaking tail of a rattlesnake. He looked down and glared into her, the third eye widened and changed from black to red. She fell limp in his arms. Then, as he receded into the darkness, he chuckled again, his magmatic irises a beacon in the black of the subterranean underworld to which his alien genetics had adapted so many years ago.

* * *

Pain was the first sensation he felt, then, hunger. Phosphorus green eyes opened, as Grenada took in his surroundings. The pack of monkey filth sat, quietly conversing as they made jarringly loud crunching sounds, in the act of breaking the backs of subterranean crayfish. The exposed flesh squelched in the hands of the savages, as they sucked the sustenance out from the shells and slurped eagerly. Grenada gulped, feeling an acidic wave of disgust burning in the back of his throat.

The wide back of the executioner was before him, as Onioan chuckled and made a mess of the arthropods on his chin and chest. The Gemini held back his gorge, at the sheer gluttony of the beasts. He slowly, gradually warmed his blackened palms that rubbed at his binds, not wanting to alert their sensitive olfaction with the scent of burning fabric. Grenada bit down on his lip and turned his face on the slimy cave floor, his agent orange locks dampened by nervous perspiration.

"Alright, let's get moving." The General said, pulling Kannon up to her feet. She had transformed once again mysteriously, the female perhaps tired of walking with the burn tissue on her glutes tearing with every step. He grinned sadistically, rotating his fingers until flames lit. He burned away his binds easily and clutched the thick calf of the soft-headed Saiyan, biting down into the hairy flesh at the same time as he gripped him and allowed his deadly hands to heat until the beast bellowed out in pain, kicking violently to remove the parasite attached to him.

"Onioan!" Nappa growled, pushing the female behind his back as he surged forward. Onioan stomped and cried out, bending down and clutching Grenada by the skull. The parasite was viciously removed, and pulled up to stare into the tear-filled black depths of his animalistic eyes.

"Hurt! You hurt Onioan bad!" He growled, baring his glistening ivory teeth, the canines of which pricked the slobber-glazed lower lip of the beast, as he whimpered and growled from the pain of his bleeding calf.

"Kill! Crush skull! Onioan grunted, and Grenada gasped as the two large hands encasing his head began to put pressure onto his temples until a sharp pain blossomed deep in his cranium and he screamed.

"Onioan! You disobey your General's orders?" Nappa growled from behind. Grenada whimpered as the crushing feeling at last let up, as Onioan simpered to Nappa, then growled and crushed him again.

"Dothdrak du, gatya du kyll ath Gemini, General!" The beast spoke, Grenada's eyes widened at his sudden fluency. He recognized the foreign language he had become familiar with, during his work to use the monitors of their space craft and the scouters to create an advanced Saiyan energy locating device.

_Don't stop me! Let me kill the Gemini, General!_ The beast was only slightly more skilled at speaking his own language, instead of the more commonplace earthling one the Geminis had become accustomed to using.

"Seastre, arhes ekava, Onioan." The man cooed, _Cease, that's enough, Onioan._

Nappa was making a low rumbling purr, to which the other seemed to respond. His hands loosened to allow the Gemini to slump as he bowed and Nappa buried his hands in the other's wild, spiky black hair, then pawed it roughly, making him lean into the scratching and growl.

"Enas do gan an kyll unm." He said lowly, Grenada shivered in reaction.

_It's my job to kill him._

"Hm! Brekse doth!" Grenada yelped, _Please don't! _as Nappa removed him from the other's grip, wrenching him up by his hair and turning him around to look at him closer. Nappa's dark umber eyes narrowed, then Grenada screamed hoarsely as he was backhanded across the jaw with Nappa's hard arm bracer; a lightning bolt of pain struck him, knocking multiple teeth from his bleeding gums.

"You **dare** disgrace the Saiyan language with your fithy tongue?!" Nappa growled, then wrenched his jaw open, from which blood poured down his chin.

"Ggghh!" He gurgled, feeling his bowels unclenching in his utter terror as the large man glared down at him, breathing heavily. Nappa grinned, and took Grenada's front two teeth between his fingers and twisted, wrenching them out by the roots. He howled out in agony, his mouth gushing hot rivers of blood. Nappa allowed him to fall to his knees, then uppercut him hard in the jaw and pulverized any remaining teeth he may have had left. He spat white slivers like broken porcelain out onto the ground, feeling the jagged remnants stabbing into his gums.

"Ackh!" He hacked, his abdomen heaving as he lied helplessly on the ground, his green eyes dulled by his agony as tears spilled from the shock widened bulbs.

"Next will be your tongue, Gemini. We had a **special** type of punishment for the more _impudent_ types..." He gravelled, causing Onioan to stomp and chortle giddily by his side, the ground shaking. Nappa gave him a knowing glance and sneered wryly.

"Heh, heh. Onioan knows how?" He said simply, and the large man began patting his armour eagerly, finding the tool belt strapped across his broad chest. He made docile uluations as he found the small set or metal tongs and clicked them, in the other paw was a small, sharp knife.

"Good boy." Nappa said, patting him as they both approached.

Grenada yelped out in panic as they restrained him, the other tormentor, Candor came to assist, staring down silently with his hardened slate eyes, as did the harlot female that was his very bane; watching with sheer unabashed satisfaction as his tongue was severed from his screaming mouth. Once removed, they allowed him to crumble to his knees and sob, the Saiyans stepping back a pace as they observed him.

Grenada couldn't take the pain, his mouth throbbed, he was nearly choking on his own blood as he gasped for breath. He made up his mind; even though he knew it may be his undoing. He called to her, making a humming intonation through his bloodied lips, the sound the only one he was still capable of making. Kannon's ruby red eyes grew wide and she blinked, her expression growing blank as he urged her powers to ooze out, her rosy irises swirled and she sung back, to the saiyan's displeasure.

They curled forward and clutched their sensitive ears as she let out a shrill cry in response; the mating call of the Gemini that was even further influenced by the ever nearing eclipse. Grenada hummed louder, his lips buzzing with the vibrations as he focused in on her, his third eye burning through the bandana and becoming orange as he glared at her intensely with all three. Kannon gasped as her body moved of it's own accord, she stumbled forward and screeched again in a tone that rung out all through the caverns, but it only made his connection to her that more intense. He only had to call her now that he had mated her; she was completely under his power, now nothing more than a breeder, an untapped power vessel.

"You call to me...Gemini... call to me..." She murmured, her empty gaze unwavering. The General grunted out as his ears bled, twin streams ran down his thick tendoned throat as he was nearly deafened by his own mate's call.

"Pinchie! Don't...let him!" He groaned, lifting one leg to attempt to regain his composure, clutching his skull.

There was a growl, then the incessant humming at last finally stopped when Bdakka stepped forward and bashed Grenada's skull down to the rock, having had crammed bits of fabric in his ears, he was immune to the sound. As he knocked down Grenada the others slowly recovered, rubbing their bloody ears, groaning. Kannon shook her head and shuddered, clinging to Nappa frantically in her fright.

"Oh, Nappa! I couldn't stop him! He had control over my mind!" She whimpered, "Just like Vulcane did Propel!" The blue haired woman sobbed, burying her face into the shining teal blue breastplate of his armour. Nappa frowned and stroked her hair, looking down at Grenada on the ground, then up to the long-haired, stocky Saiyan standing with one boot on his skull.

"Good job, Bdakka. Smart thinking." Nappa said, with a nod. Bdakka crossed his arms and spat on the ground, strings of spittle laced in his beard.

"The Gemini used that trick before, on my Rachanā." He growled, his black, almond shaped eyes bulging with angry, reddened veins. Rachanā grasped his bicep and looked down, spitting on Grenada as well. Her long braids swung across her dark skin, then she cradled her head against Bdakka.

"Why not just kill him now?! He must be castrated for what he did to our females!" Bdakka growled, kicking the unconscious one over and stomping on his exposed genitals where the fundoshi had failed to conceal him. They squelched under his boot until near to bursting, until Nappa growled at him.

"I would want him conscious for _that_, Bdakka. Let up on him before there's nothing to remove. Plus, I'm saving him for later. Don't worry, you'll get your shot."

The dwarfish saiyan pulled back, scoffing harshly.

"When?! I am once again at the back of the line, am I not? A third-class Saiyan?" He snarled, his skin prickling with an emerald blue ki. Nappa snarled back, raising his own cerulean ki.

"I do not judge a man by his class, these are _new_ ages. A new beginning for the Saiyan race! All saiyans should have the chance to prove their worth, regardless of class order! My own charge was a third class, and I **never** doubted his strength." Nappa said sternly, thinking of Raditz with his pride showing on his breast where his fist pounded. Bdakka pounded his breast in reply and lowered his brow to him, a sign of submission. Nappa nodded curtly to Bdakka, and the other man pulled Grenada up over his shoulder.

"Now that the Gemini has been detained, who will be taking leave of us? Answer now or you **will** be required to fight." Nappa said, with a sweep of his arm.

They had found the underground stash of attack balls, like their armour, they hadn't been destroyed. Only stored away carelessly until they gathered dust. The elderly couple stepped forward and bowed before Nappa.

"Faranna. Guyéthar." He nodded, respectively. The ancient saiyans had suffered long enough, past their prime and into their final stage of life, where soon their last vestiges of power would fade and they would be no more powerful than mortals.

"General. We wish to find a peaceful place to rest while our last vestiges of power fade. We have yearned to see space once again, if you will allow us." Guyéthar said, his mate Faranna nodding in agreement. Nappa nodded, closing his eyes. Faranna moved to give the other females her last goodbyes, then the two walked to the cache of ships, opening the nearest pods and checking to be sure the motherboards were still functional.

"-Wait. Avoid the Imperial Fleet. Head towards South Galaxy, or perhaps East." He said sternly, with Frieza in mind. The others nodded, getting into the space pods.

"Sir." A female stepped forward, bowing her head of short cropped raven hair.

"Tyurni." He answered.

"I too, would like to take leave. I leave in the hope of finding my own mate, if there are any Saiyan males remaining." She said, and Nappa frowned, looking to Onioan, then to Candor. Zenaya clung to Candor's arm, and the other Saiyan bared his teeth at Tyurni. Onioan's genetics were compromised; no matter how strong he was, the female sensed that this made him unsuitable as a mate and refused him.

"Fine. Go on, and good luck, sister." He said, moving forward to press his mouth dryly on her forehead, a traditional show of sympathy and remorse for her predicament. She turned away, and found her own space pod. Candor released Zenaya and a maroon aura surrounded him.

"Allow me, General. I believe that I am able to make a perfectly circular opening for the ships to blast through." He said, bending to one knee, swiping his cape to the side so that it didn't conceal his supplication.

"Quickly. We're losing valuable time." He snapped, he was becoming impatient to fight. Candor nodded and got to his feet, putting his fingertips together to create a circular opening. He pointed at the ceiling, directly above the rumbling pods. Then, a brilliant maroon sphere of light formed, slowly increasing in size. He exhaled sharply, and the blast propelled forward quickly; making a clean opening in the cave ceiling. The light blinded them a moment, causing them to sheild their eyes.

The ships lifted off and exploded from the opening, causing Candor's ox blood cape to flutter as he lowered his hands and sighed.

"It's done." He said, watching until the pods were tiny white dots in the lavender sky. They observed the state of the Eclipse, how the sky was an unearthly ultraviolet lavender, with blinding rays of sunlight radiating from the darkened celestial bodies. A distance of perhaps, one earth moon was between them, with the glow of the red giant; a fiery corona.

"We have only mere hours remaining, at this time." Candor remarked to Nappa, who agreed.

"If not, I'm not afraid of a little darkness, are you?" He said with a snort, and the others agreed. An eclipse was not something they were unfamiliar with, during all of their shared space travel. Although, if the planets did in fact not move from their new alignment; that would mean a cold, slow death for Earth's inhabitants. This was not _their_ home, though. The Saiyans had no home.

* * *

He had watched as a large ball of light erupted from the soil, then 3 spherical ships blasted from the opening, with a startling crackle of rippling atmosphere, then shot off out into space. Piccolo stared on with widened eyes, recalling the ship that Raditz have arrived in.

_They're leaving...? Why?_ He gulped, he had sensed the multiple Saiyan energies inside, now only five remained.

_They didn't belong here. They were imprisoned. Tortured for many years._ Kami supplied the answer, feeling the residual energies left behind in the very soil.

_What do I care? They're savages. _He answered, growling softly.

_**Savages? **What of Son Goku? He was like them, and yet he was no savage. He was kind hearted; a saviour of Earth._ Kami snipped back to remind him. Piccolo shook his head, growing tired of the tinny voice of his elder.

_Well, do you think it's wise to follow? _He asked, begrudgingly.

_We **must** ensure that the dark energy source is eliminated. But, be cautious. We cannot risk being seen...by either._

Piccolo smirked, then hopped down carefully into the opening.

_So much for trusting in the Saiyans..._

_Eh, old man?_ He teased, then became concealed by the darkness as he entered the underground.

* * *

_Mmm... don't wanna move...so comfy.. _Bulma thought, curling up closer to Vegeta, a small blissful smile on her face.

_Fuck! I need to move her... I have to piss!_

Vegeta laid stiffly, feeling like a giant teddy bear. The blue-haired woman had wasted away most of the morning snoozing on his chest, a bead of drool tempting to drip on him. He normally would have tossed her off unceremoniously, but he preferred to avoid hearing her screeching so early in the morning. He sighed, and slowly began easing her off of him.

_Gently, gently..._

He grit his teeth, and at last slid out from beneath the woman. Vegeta stood, feeling a sense of accomplishment. He turned and began to walk away, then was stopped in his tracks, with a small pained grunt. He stiffened, and turned with dread to see that the end of his tail was trapped in between her luscious thighs.

Bulma wriggled her thighs together, attempting to get more comfortable, not knowing that the sensual movement activated the sensitive nerve endings in Vegeta's tail, sending him to his knees on the floor; crouched over in an effort to resist the arousing sensations she was evoking in him.

"Shit...damn...woman...!" He uttered, between tightly clenched teeth, he attempted to wriggle his tail out, his eyes tempted to glaze over.

Bulma felt the wriggling tail and moaned in her sleep, "mmm... Prince..Vegeta .." She whimpered, knitting her eyebrows together with pleasure as the dream version of him did some _questionable_ things.

"Don't put your tail _there_...! That's bad...Ooh!"

Vegeta's eyes bulged at her, shocked as she slept, his brows furrowed in stunned offense at her vulgar mutterings.

_As if I would EVER use my tail in such a **vulgar** way! Despicable! What a filthy minded woman!_

"Yes... mmm... sexy man.." She mumbled, he began to quiver violently as her legs shifted again, making a low whine in his chest as Bulma threatened to break the last delicate string of his control.

_That's it, I can't take one more goddamned second of this torture!_

Vegeta resolved, and gripped her fleshy thigh, amazed at the sheer squishiness of the woman's legs. He gave it a test squeeze, grimacing.

_No wonder she's so weak, all fat and no muscle! _He thought, pushing the less disgusted thoughts of how softly they would cushion his waist out of his mind, preferring the previous. He lifted her leg just enough to part her thighs, and pulled his poor, nearly flattened tail out, wrapping it around his waist and panting with relief.

"Where'd ya go..?" She muttered, reaching out one hand and grabbing the first thing in radius. She gave it a good squeeze, finding the thing wasn't squishy, she moved her fingers experimentally, making Vegeta stiffen in response.

"What _is_ this thing...?"

Before she could find out, he was gone in a flash, the slam of the bathroom door woke her up abruptly. Bulma sat up quickly, shaking her head.

"Huh, that was odd... It felt so _real_..." She said, placing her hands on her blushing cheeks.

_I gotta stop having these nasty dreams about Vegeta! It's extremely **unhealthy**!_

She thought, standing and straightening out her messy hair and wrinkled bikini. She looked down of the state of herself, and felt icky like she needed a shower. She'd see if Master Roshi had any coffee, then they were out of there.

* * *

He strapped on his bracers, flexing his fingers, Raditz lowered his arms and sighed, looking at the mussed blonde curls across the pillow. He smiled and walked over, placing his hand on her exposed shoulder to wake her gently.

He'd spent the night attending to every little need the grouchy girl had; from bouts of nausea, to sudden hunger, to back pain he found easily relieved by stroking it with a ki warmed hand. She'd fallen asleep at last, grumbling all the while about how she didn't want his help, but he hadn't sensed any aggression from her.

He only wanted her to be comfortable, both in essence, and with him being around. Raditz knew that the female needed to feel secure, something he'd sensed from her constant need to go to her weapons for protection. And so, he'd held her throughout the night until her heat sickness calmed, feeling glad that she trusted him enough to care for her in such a way.

"Launch, it's morning." He said softly, and watched as she opened her eyes, noticing him and immediately flushing in response. He smiled, he felt her attraction and welcomed it. She sat up, her hand to her mouth as she was anticipating more nausea. Raditz frowned, he didn't quite understand how heat worked for females, he'd assumed that she would be all over him, but that wasn't the case.

"Leave me alone.." She croaked, pulling the blanket back up over her head. Raditz shook his head, in refusal.

"You need fresh air and sustanence. You're a Saiyan. You cannot allow the heat to incapacitate you." He said, tearing the blanket off and picking her up in his arms. Launch squirmed around, protesting, grabbing onto a spike of hair and wrenching his head to the side as she pulled. He bared his teeth in warning to her and turned around, taking her to the bathroom.

"Stop it, now." He threatened, taking her into the bathroom and setting her on the tub. "It's time you cleaned yourself, girl." He growled, her lovely scent was corrupted by the odor of night sweats and stomach acid. Launch crossed her arms and huffed.

"Not with _you_ in here!" She snapped, turning her face away.

"Fine. Traditionally, I would bathe with you. But have it your way, if you fall, I won't be there to catch you." He snarled, hardening his eyes.

"Good! I hope I fall and crack my fucking head open!" She growled back, baring her small canines and bristling her little tail. Raditz was taken aback, then shook his head.

"Suit yourself, girl." He snapped, and turned around, storming out and down the stairs.

_That _ _ungrateful _ _girl... How dare she! She **will** learn to respect her mate's wishes..._

Raditz grumbled to himself, seething with irritation as he came out into the kitchen to see the weak female Vegeta had claimed, messing with one of the strange kitchen machines. She jumped when she noticed his silent presence, visibly shaken. Raditz lowered his tensed shoulders and scoffed. He crossed his arms and glared at her as she made some type of black, bitter scented concoction.

Vegeta strolled into the kitchen, quickly noticing Raditz's agitated state and honing in on it. The other eyed him tensely, measuring the distance between Raditz and Bulma with his eyes. Raditz turned his cheek and huffed, loosening his tail and slumping it to show that he wasn't challenging him.

Vegeta exhaled, sitting in a chair. He smelled the coffee and waited patiently for the woman to make him a cup, while wholly ignoring her presence. Raditz's ear pricked as he heard the shower water turn on, gulping_. _He clutched the table with one hand, in resisting the persistent primal urges that were telling him he must watch over her like a hawk. He needed to show the female that he wasn't subservient to those ancient traditions, that he didn't need to ensure her safety if she was so opposed to the idea.

"How is Launch feeling today?" Bulma asked, as she set 3 mugs on the table, then filled them with the dark swill, the steam curling up temptingly as Raditz observed her pouring it.

"Not well, I'm not exactly accustomed to seeing this type of behavior in my female." He grunted, looking away from Vegeta, who smirked. Bulma giggled, setting the jug of milk and a dish of sugar on the table before sitting besides Vegeta.

"No man is good at dealing with PMS, Raditz! Don't feel like you're the first." She chuckled, and was surprised to hear Vegeta's low snicker as well as he sipped his coffee.

Raditz pulled his cup forward and sniffed it, snorting. He disliked the bitter scent.

"I need my Vitamin C." He said, and stood, going to rummage through the refrigerator for his favorite orange juice. He found it and tilted the jug back, chugging down the contents. He burped loudly, then turned and offered it to Vegeta, who sputtered and shook his head in abhorrence.

"Don't you like orange juice...?" Raditz said, hoping the offering of his favorite juice would make the other more amicable.

"Not after you've had your **disgusting** lips all over it!" Vegeta scowled, in blatant refusal, instead sipping his coffee. Bulma smiled, giggling at the odd interaction.

"Sorry, Raditz. Vegeta has to have his coffee in the morning. Just like me." She said with another giggle, and Raditz shrugged, downing the rest of it until the plastic bottle indented and he crushed it in his hand, tossing it in the trash.

"Its composition is similar to that of Nutritient Serum, Woman. That's why I find it necessary to drink. Don't get off comparing yourself to me, we are nothing alike." He said curtly, before standing and refilling his cup. Bulma's mouth dropped open from the statement, feeling offended. Raditz crossed his arms and leaned against the fridge, watching the interesting couple interact.

"We do _too_ have things in common!" She protested, with a whining voice. She then began ticking things off on one hand, stubbornly.

"L-Let's see, first of all, we're both royalty! _Duh!_ Second, we both take pride in our appearance! Third, we're both very intelligent! Let's see, fourth.. hmm.."

"Very stubborn." Raditz murmured, recieving a shocked expression from Bulma.

"Shut up, _third-class_." Vegeta growled, then turned around and raised one brow, taking a sip of coffee. He closed his eyes and sneered.

"One of those things you _think_ we have in common, is in fact, a **lie**." He said, smirking as he looked to see her reaction. Bulma froze, the color washing from her face.

"Um! Ok, maybe, the thing about appearance, hehe!" She bumbled, stirring her coffee a bit too enthusiastically and nearly spilling it. Vegeta walked over to her, slowly and silently, causing her to quiver in anticipation. He placed both hands on her shoulders, using one to move the strands of hair away from her ear so that he could lean down and whisper into it.

_" 'Princess'..." _He chuckled softly, taking a small huff of her scent, and grinning.

_"You **seriously** thought you could lie to me, Woman...? With the way your nervous sweat drips down your back...?" _He whispered, tracing one finger down her quivering spine. Bulma panted, her breath coming out in small, frantic wheezes as she stiffened from his touch.

_"I can smell your fear... your deception... you think you are above me... but you are just as deceitful. How long did you plan to keep me in the dark, hm?" _His silken purr in her ear made her quiver with the old, familiar fear she had felt at his first coming. Now the cards were on the table, there was no escaping her lies now.

"Please, forgive me... Vegeta, I only did what I had to... will you kill me now, after all?" She said in a tiny voice, narrowing her shoulders as he traced hot circles on her back. Vegeta grinned, glancing to Raditz. The other man walked out of the room, not wanting to involve himself.

Vegeta stroked his hand up her back, clutching her neck in his hand as he craned her neck back to rest on his shoulder. Bulma was pliant in his grip, squeezing her eyes shut, her perspiration dampened cheeks flushed pink, her azure hair stuck to her porcelain white throat.

"Hmmm..." He purred, the strange, animalistic sound sent spikes of fear through her veins, that curled into lust and heated up her blood.

Vegeta breathed on her throat, a crimson flush breaking out beneath his glazed-over coal irises, as her musky scent; mixed with his own met his nostrils. He leaned forward and swiped his tongue across her throat, causing her to gasp in response. Bulma whimpered, both in her anxiety, and her helpless submission to his touch. He slowly reached one hand around to stroke the gauzy fabric of her bikini top, finding her erect nipple and teasing it with his fingers as he dragged his teeth across her throat and snarled, then pulled back and spoke lowly into her pinkened ear.

_"We **are** alike, you and I...after all.." _He purred, and gripped her breast, Bulma arched her back and leaned onto him, opening her eyes and gazing up at him. He met his eyes with hers, and moved his hand around her throat to pull her up closer to him. He licked her parted lips, panted. Pressed his mouth to hers once, then pulled back.

"Vegeta.." Bulma sighed, and took his face in her hands and pulled him down to her to deepen the kiss. He squeezed her tightly as she moved her plush lips against his, parting her mouth and sliding her sweetness against his own heat, he growled into the kiss and made it more passionate, lifting her body from the chair to place her on the edge of the table, not caring as the coffee slopped out and splashed on the table that was shaking under the force of his impulsive shove, to move his body over hers and dominate her.

"Ah!" She cried out, startled as her head hit the wooden surface. Vegeta pulled back from the kiss, pausing to place his hand protectively beneath her head, pressing his body into hers as he attacked her lips, her neck, lapping her salty perspiration from her skin, his hungry mouth nipping her throat where her luscious, ripe scent was throbbing, evoking him to sink his teeth in.

"No!" She gasped, gulping down her impassioned pants as his teeth teased over the pulsing vein in her throat, his tongue tickling across her prickling skin.

_Mark. Mark her **now**. Then mate._

His primal voice growled in the back of his mind, and he gripped her hips firmly, snarling and grinding his arousal against hers persistently, before he then reached to remove her bikini bottoms.

"S-Stop!" She gasped, and crawled backwards. Vegeta opened his eyes, seeing her frightened expression.

"Not like _this_, Vegeta!" She cried out, pushing on his chest. He blinked, attempting to pull himself out of his lust-clouded fervor.

"Don't you even care how I feel?" She whimpered, looking up at him with those large, watery cerulean eyes. Her arousal hit his senses, clashing sharply with the offal scent of tears.

"Feel? How you _feel_...?" He said gruffly, shaking his head. Bulma sat up on the table and wrapped her arms around his neck. Placing kisses on his strong jaw, burying her hands in his sweat drenched hair, gripping it by the roots as she kissed him, pressing her chest against his. She wanted him, badly. But she wasn't ready for him just yet. Bulma pulled back, watching him open his half-lidded eyes.

"I feel... like I'm _starving_, Vegeta. You don't give me _enough_... I need **you**. I need your affection, I need to know that you care for me, that you don't just protect me because you **have** to..." She whispered, seeing the hurt flash through his eyes. He pulled back, feeling conflicted.

She wanted him to expose himself, to bring his darkness to the light. Vegeta loosened his grip around her, exhaling as he regained his control.

"I told you once before, I am not capable of such human emotions... I don't _feel _like you, I won't lower myself to shed tears for your satisfaction." He said, looking down, then back up grimly. Bulma frowned, he saw the disappointment in her eyes, the brief flash of pity.

"...If you _need_ me so badly, then I will sate that need. But I **will not** coddle you, not like that weakling Yamcha, nor like how Raditz cares for his female. If you want me, you are abandoning your dreams of being a spoilt rotten princess... You and I would be mates, connected on a deep level. Both physical, and mental. Are you **sure** you desire that?" He said, brushing one hand through her hair, with a pained look in his eyes. Bulma smiled, placing her hand over his and caressing it.

"I suppose I'll have to think about it, huh?" She said, trailing a finger down his throat. Bulma leaned forward, and kissed the hot skin there. Then licked it, sucking his skin into her mouth until it would be reddened and marked as hers. She pulled back, smirking devilishly as he placed his hand over the hickey, his eyes widening.

"Bulma, you..." He gulped.

_The woman! She...**dares** tempt to mark me first?!_ _It's...! Unheard of!_

Bulma hid her smirking mouth behind one curled hand coyly, amused by his flustered reaction. She decided that he was going to be all hers at that moment. She didn't know when she had fallen so hard for him, or why, but he had her heart in a vice grip. The only issue, though, was that she was afraid of how badly it would hurt if he tore himself away. That was why, she wanted to savor what they had now, just a little longer.

"Let's go home, Vegeta. I need a shower." She said, hopping off the table. He stood still a moment, his hands gripping the table. _Yes. I need a cold, **very** cold shower..._ Vegeta blinked the sweat out of his eyes, hard, his skin was so hot, so feverish it itched. He almost wished to scratch it off it was so confining in this house; surrounded by her scent, Raditz's scent, his female, all fuzzying his perception.

"Fine." He said, turning to storm out the door. Bulma sighed, then turned around to say her goodbyes to Raditz and Launch.

* * *

Launch pulled the towel around herself, sitting down on the edge of the tub as she held her head in her hands, sobbing. She felt his presence by the door, but all she wanted was for him to go away. Just leave her alone, she didn't deserve his sympathy.

"Launch, Bulma is going home." Raditz said softly, and she sniffled in response, "Kay..." Launch rubbed her reddened nose, squeezing one arm around her waist.

_You mustn't ignore his help, he's only here to help us...__It'll be ok... _The soft voice in her mind whispered. She chuckled to herself harshly, curling her tail around as she blinked the tears from her eyes.

"Fine then, you love him so much, **you** deal with it." She muttered, and moved the tail in front of her nose until it induced a sneeze. The other Launch awoke, standing and dropping the towel. She looked down at her body and felt her stomach, where the same residual pain lingered. She sighed, feeling sorry that her other half had hidden herself away inside on purpose. She could understand though, she supposed, as she blinked at her reflection in the mirror, brushing her damp bangs away from her brow.

_She wants to hide from Raditz, but he won't leave her alone. He can't. He cares for both of us, equally. I hope that this will bring them closer together, instead of further apart._

Raditz opened the door, popping his head in and seeming puzzled when he saw her. She gave him a small, sad smile and walked towards him as he shut the door behind him. He opened his arms for her and she rested against him, holding him before pulling back to look up into his saddened eyes.

"She's gone back to sleep, now." Launch said, simply. He nodded, wrapping his hands around her naked back, her soft blue tail wrapping around his arms. Raditz shuddered as he noticed an odd aroma, and he gulped, blinking in his sudden reaction.

"What is that scent..?" He said, his teeth grit together. Launch tilted her head,

"What do you mean..?" She furrowed her brows, she had a hunch about what he meant, but her and her other half always shared the same things... including bodily functions.

"Your smell...it's changed..." He rasped with a possessive growl, something about Launch's scent was signaling to his primal instincts, telling him_ something_, but he didn't quite know what. He had the intense urge to protect and nurture the blonde, but now that blue Launch was back, her scent was more like a Gemini, and he had every intention of changing it back to a Saiyan's.

"I'll change it back. I'll make you mine again, if that's what it takes." He spat sharply, his ki rising up in him, as if were readying for battle. It felt almost as if that wretched Shinhan was back to steal away his Launch again, and he wouldn't allow it.

"-That night, she took off to be with him! That's why... That's why his foul odor is still lingering. I'll rectify that." Raditz seethed, licking his lips.

Raditz lowered his head and a red flush blossomed beneath his eyes. Launch gasped in response, as he turned them around so that she was pressed against the door. His jaw chattered uncontrollably, he salivated hungrily as he licked her mating mark, then pulled away. Raditz clenched his jaw, then hissed as he scented her heady, ripe nectar now lush with a warm spiciness that was irresistible.

"She should have never let him touch her body, now yours has been tainted by his scent. She'll regret that, I'll show her as well as you how a Saiyan keeps his mate." He growled quickly, before biting her neck.

Launch sighed, squeezing her eyes shut and gripped his back. He pulled back, licking the mark, and purred.

"Tonight we'll mate, and I'll make **sure** it works this time, don't worry." He chuckled softly, pressing his groin to hers, nipping her mark playfully.

"Raditz, wait! What?!" She moaned, turning her head to the other side to avoid his eager bites.

"You heard me, Launch. I must cover you in my scent...I have to!" He panted, Launch pushed him away carefully and opened the door behind her, putting some distance between her and him so she could at least speak before he attacked.

Launch backed away, and he followed, dragging his feet and glaring at her as if she were a large chunk of meat.

"Stop resisting me, girl. I must have you." He growled, pushing her down onto the bed.

_I have to have you._ A voice from a disjointed memory echoed in her mind, as Raditz laid over her, kissing and stroked her body, Launch closed her eyes and in her mind; all she could see were the haunting images of the past, hear the impassioned cries and feel the ghost of the pain she felt tearing through her body as her other self gave herself to Tien.

_Tien, it was Tien... He was the one that hurt me!_ She gasped, her eyes opening up wide and screamed, her voice rising to a fever pitch so shrill that Raditz tore himself away, howling as he covered his bleeding ears.

"Stop! Stop!" He screamed, clutching his skull in pain.

Her eyes swirled, the purple whirlpools called to the netherworld as she cried out her agony; feeling the ghosts of her past grasping for her, invading her womb. The shadows outside the window shifted, the violet light washing over her naked body. An unconscious urge to cry out; beckoning her from the Celestials in the sky, their dark shadows looming before the blinding white sun as they slowly crept across the sky. The immense draw of the planets was enough to make the sea churn; the waves crashed on the shore as the curtain rippled into the window violently.

Launch's body convulsed under the light, her eyes becoming crimson red, she growled out aloud, a splash of vibrant red blood hit the stark white sheets between her thighs, her white fangs glistening as she screamed and made the shrill intonation again. Raditz fell to the floor, panting in his pain, and dragged her by her ankles to get her onto his lap. He held her tightly as he squeezed his eyes shut, avoiding watching the white glow of the artificial moon forming in his hand. Her call quieted, her head slumped down as she stared at the glowing ball of light, her velvety indigo tail lifting and curling curiously. Launch's crimson eyes blinked, the artificial moon's power calming the call to her dead Gemini mate that her body had been overwhelmed by, allowing the Saiyan side to take back dominance.

The light faded once he saw she was calmed, and Raditz clutched her tightly to his chest, not understanding why or how she had reacted in such a way. He was frightened for her, frightened for himself as she collapsed into the safety of his arms and began to cry, wailing her sorrows to him that had been trapped inside while the other was on the outside, pushing down her pain, sublimating her memories into the other's mind, until Launch was haunted by the deranged look in his corrupted eyes; the memory lingering of the man she both feared and loved.

"Tien. I'm so sorry..." She whispered, her eyes returning their normal violet shade, as she closed them, and allowed Raditz to soothe her.


	24. Eclipsed By Fire

The light shifted in the small rosy-pink room, washing all in a lilac hue as the seafoam green curtains fluttered inward, cooling his sweat-beaded skin.

Raditz opened his eyes, sliding his hands under Launch to lift her up as she seemed to be sliding off of his lap. Launch's head fell back and he caught it with one hand, watching her slack expression with widened eyes.

"Launch?! Launch?!" He said, becoming frantic as her blue hair fell over her flushed cheek, he stood up quickly, cradling her in his arms. His heart began to race as he turned around, feeling lost on what to do. Raditz eyed his scouter gathering dust on the bedside table, and picked it up. He examined it with a frown, then wiped the dust off quickly on his black t-shirt, and put it on.

Raditz gazed down at Launch, clicking the button on the side, and seeing with relief that it still worked. 1299, and slowly descending. Raditz grit his teeth and glanced around frantically, then found her discarded towel on the floor and used it to carefully wipe the blood from her thighs, his expression pained when a small stream of fresh blood flowed down her thigh.

_I must get her to hospice, before... I lose her!_ He headed for the dresser, pulling the drawer out onto the floor in his panic, her brightly colored clothes spilling out. He grabbed a light green dress and pulled it over her head quickly to cover her, then flew out the window with his injured mate in his arms. Raditz grimaced as he increased his speed, heading towards the large gathering of energy on his scouter.

_Civilization, the populace must have a medical center_ _!_

Raditz looked down at Launch's sleeping face and stroked her hair, holding her at the base of her skull securely.

"Don't worry, I'll make sure you get taken care of, I promise..." He whispered, then his eyes widened as he felt a startling tingling sensation in the base of his own skull. Shaking his head, he growled at the odd intrusion. Someone was testing his mental barriers. He watched Launch's indigo brows furrow, then her power level suddenly skyrocketed. His mouth fell open with the revelations he was seeing.

_1299...1300...1345...1359...1400! Launch never showed this type of rise in power before, besides during her awakening, but I didn't have my scouter then-_

_Raditz!?_

His thoughts were interrupted as he heard her telepathic shout in his mind.

_Launch!? Yes, I hear you!_

_Take me to Bulma! She can take care of me! Please, hurry!_

_Yes, right away!_

He thought back to her, his resolve hardening furthermore as he felt more warm blood trickling down his arm. Raditz inhaled, recalling the sour, fruity scent of Bulma. He found it, then exhaled sharply and rocketed himself forward, clutching Launch tightly to his chest as the rumbling of his intense ki surge crackled through the atmosphere, and he became a streak across the sky, and flew at full bore towards Capsule Corps.

* * *

Vegeta halted his movements, feeling a familiar sensation, he paused. He then pulled down the white t-shirt fully over himself and turned towards the window, furrowing his brows.

_What's that fool doing? Hurtling towards her house at such a ridiculous speed, he's_ _going to-!_ It was too late, as Vegeta slapped his hand over his forehead, the neighboring wall crumbled in with a great shudder of the building.

_"Fucking idiot!" _He hissed, then felt the way Raditz's ki seemed abnormally erratic. Vegeta stormed out of the bedroom, and towards the empty guest wing where he came upon Raditz, halting the determined man's charge with one hand. Raditz brushed his hand off like it was nothing, not caring to exchange niceties in his hurry.

"Move, Vegeta! I _must_ get Launch medical attention! Where is Bulma?"

"Oh, the woman? She was in the shower last I heard, I think she was-" He said, then stiffened.

"Raditz? What are you doing here?! Launch! Oh my gosh, she's bleeding! Come on, hurry!" Bulma ran over to Raditz and took his hand, cupping one hand over her mouth and looking away at the bloody scene as she pulled him with a surprising amount of strength towards a shiny metal door. Vegeta stood statue-stiff, as she turned back and glared at him.

"Come on, Vegeta! We'll talk about you listening in on my shower habits, later!" She growled, and he came forward quickly, gulping as Bulma grasped his hand and pulled him at the same time as she pushed Raditz into the small room. Once all were inside, she clicked the button to go directly to the medical wing, then another button that signalled an emergency with a red glowing button

The elevator suddenly became lit red with blinking lights, the loud warning alarms blaring.

Vegeta surged forth and began prying at the metal doors as they sunk down at an increasingly fast pace, feeling claustrophobic and panicked by the flashing lights and loud siren, that triggered frightening memories in his mind.

"_Get me out of here, now!" _He shouted, the metal beginning to crumple from his fingers pulling open the doors.

"Stop that, Vegeta!" Bulma scolded, pulling on his arm.

"This elevator won't open while it's running! What is up with you?!"

"Pull yourself together, Your Highness." Raditz frowned, then clutched Launch tighter to him and gasped as she awoke from all the commotion, blinking her deep violet eyes wearily.

"Launch, you're awake! We're getting you some help!" He said, brushing one hand over her hair reassuringly.

"We're almost there, hold on!" Bulma said, then as the doors swung open, Vegeta disappeared from the small room in a flash, then Bulma led Raditz quickly to the medical wing, nearly knocking over the panicked doctor that had been called over by the emergency signal.

"Ms. Briefs! Bring her in the room immediately, what's the issue?" He said, Raditz looked around warily, then nodded, trusting them to care for Launch.

"She's bleeding... from her womb." He said, his voice shaking.

The doctor nodded, and Bulma looked back at Raditz, startled. There was no time to argue over details as they carted him into the room, and he set Launch onto the bed.

"Everyone clear out, please!" A nurse shouted, as they flocked into the room and began inspecting Launch. Bulma pulled on his arm to remove Raditz from the room, but he was an impenetrable wall of hard muscle.

"You must allow the medics to assist her." Vegeta said sternly, and to Bulma's surprise, placed one hand on the other saiyan's back and gave him a small push. Raditz complied, giving Launch one last look before the door closed behind them, the shouting of the nurses and doctor muffled as they worked to stop the bleeding and find the cause.

Raditz followed Vegeta to the sitting area nearby, where they sat down. Bulma looked back nervously, twiddling her fingers as she panicked about how to broach the subject.

"Raditz, can you tell me what happened to Launch before she began bleeding?" She said, shakily. Raditz's face paled, then he rested his head in his hands and sighed deeply.

"It was the movement of the Planets that brought forth her Gemini blood, their alignment is what I'd assume to be unnatural for this planet?" He asked, he and Vegeta looked to one another and seemed to subtly shrug, unfazed by the solar event.

"Haven't you watched the news?! Yes, it's _incredibly_ unnatural! Well- at least normally, but this isn't the first time. It has happened... once every 10 years. But before, the planets never came **so close!"**

Vegeta swallowed, looking towards the large floor-length windows, narrowing his eyes.

"Those Geminis, they have a hidden power... But, even nearly ascended, I couldn't break through their barrier..." He muttered lowly, catching Raditz's attention.

"_Ascended?_ You...couldn't mean...?"

"Yes, I nearly achieved Super Saiyan status before. But, I cannot predict it's likeability. Perhaps it is this strange celestial energy, the draw of the tides that causes their power to surge."

"Yes... Remember, Mars?" Raditz said, sitting up. Bulma blinked, and sat down next to Vegeta. This was the first she'd ever heard of their space exploration, and she was highly intrigued.

"They used the water. They stored some type of energy in the underground ice crystals, and on Neptune, well, we were entirely surrounded by water."

"That's why they chose the beach as their base... Damn!" Vegeta growled, lacing his fingers together, staring at the floor.

"Sir? Are any of you the girl's immediate family? We need a blood donor!" A nurse said, approaching Raditz. He looked up, startled.

"I am her mate..." He said, and stood. Bulma followed, pulling Vegeta with her.

"Are any of you B positive?" The Nurse asked, and Bulma shook her head, she looked to Vegeta and he looked puzzled by the meaning by the crinkle in his brow. She wasn't even sure if saiyan blood _was_ the same, but she knew at the very least it was red, and hopefully not _too_ abnormal. Launch was Half-Saiyan after all, so it was probably preferable that she was given Saiyan blood.

"I'll give my blood, I'm the only one who can." He said, and extended his arm as the nurse pulled him into the room. Raditz knelt by the bedside as they inserted the needle in his arm, taking a quick sample. Launch turned her head and smiled weakly through the oxygen mask on her face.

"Raditz..." She whispered, attempting to reach up weakly to stroke his hair. He clasped her hand and looked down at her intently; his gaze flickering over her worriedly, at the blue tarp over her midsection, with a small square opening exposing the flesh where they'd made the incision.

"We've got the bleeding under control. There was a tear in her uterus, but besides that, she is healthy..." The doctor said uneasily, slightly unnerved by what he had seen. Once they had found the source of the bleeding and stitched it, a golden light surrounded the stitches and healed it, then pushed the stitches right out, same with the incision in her abdomen.

"Oh, wonderful! You're type O- sir, and may I say, your blood is quite... rare..." The nurse said, looking at the blood in the test tube that slightly shimmered.

Another nurse hooked him up for the blood transfusion, as he held Launch's hand tightly. Bulma sighed and subconsciously leaned against Vegeta's stiff shoulder, holding his bicep. He looked to her and softly leaned in to the embrace.

"Isn't that good to know, Vegeta? If you ever have blood loss, Raditz can donate his blood to you!" She said perkily, her sky blue eyes sparkling. He shook his head, scoffing.

_"**Share** blood?!_ As if I would ever mingle blood with him!" He shouted, then paused when Bulma put her hand to her mouth and made a gagging sound, watching as Raditz's blood began flowing down the transfer tube, and into Launch.

"Urg! Must not. Barf!" Bulma gagged, and Vegeta rolled his eyes, scooping her up quickly. She was quickly removed from the room, as he flew her back to the small waiting room that was designed like a modern lounge.

"Ugh, thank you... I can't stand seeing his blood j-just _gushing _out like that!" She said, with an exaggerated shudder.

_Curious, so she wasn't __fazed until his blood was **actually** flowing...? _Vegeta, thought, feeling a small bit of relief.

"Didn't you notice all the blood before? Why didn't you fall faint, or become sick?" Vegeta said, holding her by the arms and looking into her eyes speculatively, as if he were interrogating her.

"I-I don't know! I just wanted to help L-Launch! I'm scared, Vegeta! What if-" Bulma gulped, swallowing the high pitched sob in her throat.

"Shh, Bulma." He whispered, Vegeta saw the fear in her tearful eyes and sighed, taking one of her small hands, he sat down and she followed. He placed his other hand over hers, his warm hand encasing hers that had become cold, as he gently began rubbing it.

"Whuh... What are you doing?" She said softly, feeling a heated blush rising in her chest. She thought of the way Raditz had held Launch's hand, and looked at her with such a loving gaze, then looked up to Vegeta with parted lips, questioning. His dark eyes were lit like black smoke by the bright sunlight as he continued to caress, then looked back down.

"I'm increasing your blood flow before you faint, that's all. That's what causes you to fall unconscious. When you panic, your blood pressure falls to your extremities, drawing oxygen away from your brain."

"Oh...? I- It dooze?" She questioned, slurring her words a bit. He smirked as her hands became clammy and began to sweat nervously against his dry hands that were now clasping the both of them.

"Here." He said, and patted his lap. Bulma's eyes widened and she gulped, _does he want me to, s-s-sit on his lap?!_

"Rest your head here, silly woman. Before you get even _more_ lightheaded."

"On... you?" She said, and felt slightly dizzy. Vegeta smiled again, this time with his straight white teeth showing as he seemed even more amused by her confusion.

_Gosh, his smile is so...perfect... _She thought faintly, blinking slowly.

"Yes. _On me." _He reiterated, and moved her to lie on her back across the chairs, her head resting comfortably on his thigh. Bulma blushed, feeling silly as the change in blood flow caused her to giggle.

"Buht, I don't _habe_ to be on your lap, Buh geeta..." She said woozily, attempting to tease him even as her eyelids grew heavy and heavier.

"You're safe here, close to me." He simply responded, and stroked one hand over her hair soothingly, as she closed her eyes.

_Such a foolish little woman..._

He thought, chuckling softly at the adorable way she had mispronounced his name. He felt an odd spreading warmth grow in his chest as his hand was petting her hair, then held her securely beneath her neck.

_Safe...? _Bulma thought faintly, the image of Vegeta's rare smile still fresh in her mind._ Vegeta still took care of me, even though... he doesn't have to anymore._

He felt suddenly startled, as if Bulma had said something, and glanced down at her pale pink lips. They didn't seem to have moved, although he thought he had heard her speak. He pulled his hand away and rested it on the armrest, staring out the window, towards the city line, where the deepening purple horizon met with the water, the intensity of the sun bathing it in glimmering gold.

* * *

The warm glow of the sunlight cast over the dry desert plain, as there was a flurry of sand flying, and the joyful laughter of a child. Gohan ran, being both chased, and chasing after the sabertooth cubs. The little cubs were day by day, becoming stronger as their new guardian fed them fresh meat each and every day, he had gained the cats trust and now the kittens rough-housed with him as if he were one of their own.

"Owww!" He yelled out, then laughed as the one chasing after him latched onto his back and dug in with its claws as if capturing moving prey. Gohan rolled across the ground, giggling happily as he wrestled with the cats, the three cubs pouncing and yowling playfully at him as he became covered in sand and sat up, coughing. Gohan shook his head, his hair had become slightly more shaggy since his mother hadn't been there to cut it now for some time.

Gohan rubbed the sand from his eyes, shaking his head. He squeezed his eyes shut and flew up, seeing through a blur as tears clouded his vision. He propelled himself towards Piccolo's hot spring, where he'd visited more than once now to bathe, or get a drink of water. He'd memorized the location now, as he landed on the mountain top and felt around for the cool stream of water. Gohan then cupped it in his hands and splashed it on his face, cleansing his eyes. He blinked away the obstruction, wiping the dirt from his cheeks in brown smears.

He turned and sat in awe of the sight before him, of the vast forest lit up golden by the incredibly bright sun, where as he looked up, his eyes watered from the sheer brightness of the quarter eclipsed sun, with two black obstructions on each side. Gohan had to look away, blinking the remaining impression of the bright light from his vision, as he stood up quickly and slipped in a patch of mud. Gohan yelled, as he slipped and hurtled off the side of the mountain, somersaulting and rolling down the rocky mountain, until he felt a sharp burst of pain and cried out, then a heavy sheet of unconsciousness cocooned over him as he hurtled into the darkness of the forest.

* * *

She shivered, as Chi-Chi wrapped her arms around her body for warmth, she lifted one foot forward, then another through the heavy snow, the cold numbing her extremities, with a damp sweat soaking her beneath her clothes. She trudged on, determined as she faced the sheer mountainside head on. Chi-Chi had woken up, curled in a ball when she at last heard an ear piercing cry, and was startled from her rest. She didn't know what the sound was that sent true shivers of fear through her veins, but she knew that whatever she encountered, was placed there for her to challenge. She had the bag of senzu beans safely tucked away, which gave her some comfort as she worried for her own survival.

_Goku was able to face the trials of darkness, and he was only a child... I may not be 'exactly' human, as Korin says, but I'm still for the most part, human, and I need to find shelter, soon before I freeze to death. _She resolved, blinking snowflakes from her eyelashes. Chi-Chi encroached on the mountain with one goal, to reach the dark cavern at the very top, where through the heavy snow fall, she could see a dim light flickering within.

If there was fire, she could get warm, she could cook. That was all Chi-Chi desired now, to relieve herself of her stiffened cold joints, and to fill her belly with something nourishing before continuing her quest. _Just a few steps, closer... Yes..._

Chi-Chi panted, falling onto her hands, and dug in the icy cold snow, gripping the jagged rock beneath, and crawled hand and knee up to the cavern, until she felt the slick floor of the cavern beneath her fingers, and sighed in relief.

It was when she felt someone else grasp her fingers, that she gasped, as she was pulled up into the cave, and met eyes with a figure darkened by the warm light of a fire, and came to rest in that person's arms. Chi-Chi's jaw rattled from the cold, she could barely blink with her iced over lashes as the person walked her towards the fire, and laid her down onto the warmth of the dry cave floor. Chi-Chi's dark eyelashes lowered as the person stripped away her soaked cheongsam dress, and set aside all her belongings, instead covering her in a thick blanket of light blue fur that was soft as duckling down, and she fell to sleep.

There was a splashing sound that returned her to alertness, as Chi-Chi opened her eyes and sat up, her cheeks reddened and plump by the heat recirculating through her body. She looked around the dark cavern, squinting until she saw a cloaked figure, crouching by a stream of water as if washing clothing, which she was certain of when she saw the froth on the person's long, pale hands as they scrubbed her clothing with a round stone.

"Hello...? Who are you?" She asked, her voice echoing as she pulled the blanket up over her chest. The figure turned, and a partial amount of their face was concealed as they held up her clothing and wrung it dry, then came closer and strung it on a makeshift drying rack near the fire. She recognized the slight, feminine chin, and red lips of a woman as the person straightened the clothes so they wouldn't wrinkle. The woman sat before Chi-Chi on her knees, bowing her head, and smiled once risen.

"My name is Hana. Are you feeling well?" She said, in a soft voice.

"Y-Yes, Thank you... wait-" Chi-Chi started, sitting up on her haunches with the blanket concealing her front, as her long raven black hair splayed across her back.

"Shh. I'm sure, after your journey, you'd enjoy a nice, warm bath?" Hana said kindly, and pulled from inside her cloak a long white nagajuban for Chi-Chi to wear.

"Come, there is a lovely heated spring to bathe in, my dear. Then, perhaps we shall speak more." She urged, and Chi-Chi took the robe, cradling it to her as she stood hesitantly, and followed the woman, her eyes widening as Hana dropped her cloak and was nude as well, with a small, yet sinewy figure and long, black hair like her own that was so long it came past her backside and concealed her.

She walked into the spring, and Chi-Chi followed, stepping carefully into the hot water then sighing with relief as it warmed her aching legs.

"Very nice, eh? Here, relax." Hana cooed, her voice calming Chi-Chi, along with the gentle burble of the water as she picked up a bucket, and poured it over Chi-Chi's hair, then began to wash it. Chi-Chi closed her eyes, leaning into the washing comfortably, and knelt in the water as she worked a lather through her hair that had needed a good washing for some time.

"Ah, yes. It's very nice. Your hair is so soft and lovely, Chi-Chi darling." Hana whispered, and Chi-Chi tilted her head back as she felt her skull being massaged with skill. Then, she rinsed her once again, and felt relieved as the heat washed over her body, and she scrubbed herself with a small cloth as Hana washed her back, pressing down and making her bones crack pleasingly.

"There, now would you do the same?" She asked, and Chi-Chi nodded, turning and stroking the thick blue-black hair through her fingers. She wet it, and began to wash it, feeling slightly dreamy as she helped the woman, then they both rested in the water awhile, not speaking as Chi-Chi stared at the flame and attempted to think clearly.

"Dear, you are so strong, my goodness," Hana said, with a laugh.

"Why, you've certainly grown up well." She mused, and Chi-Chi smiled.

"My father trained me from a very young age. Then, I trained with the Turtle Hermit, Master Roshi, and now, I have been trained by Master Korin." Chi-Chi said, speaking fluently as if she were completely alert, even as her body was slack from the relaxing springs.

"How impressive! I should think your mother would be so proud of you, a woman that can fight!" She said, standing. Chi-Chi blinked, gazing up Hana's slick body, then her face. A thick bang covered her eyes, and her hand covered her small mouth as she chuckled. She reached her hand out to Chi-Chi and assisted her to stand, then dress in the nagajuban, then dressed herself as well.

They squeezed one another's hair out and combed it, Hana instructed her to coil her braids into twin ox horn buns, with the tails of her long braids trailing to her shoulders, and two long hime bangs like Chi-Chi's. While they groomed one another, Hana asked Chi-Chi many questions, and she answered, talking of her journeys, her childhood, her life with Goku, his death, and the kidnapping of Gohan. Chi-Chi cried as she recalled the tale, her head lowered as the other woman braided her hair into plaits then wrapped them around eachother into a bun and secured it with a hair wrap. Chi-Chi sobbed, and Hana wrapped her arms around her and comforted her for a long time, until she at last dried her eyes, and her stomach audibly growled.

Chi-Chi smiled at Hana's tinkling laughter because of the unladylike growl, then stood and followed her as she observed her preparing a spit, where she hung up a kettle. They prepared a stew, exchanging their personal recipes and talking excitedly about their love for cooking, before Hana took over the stirring and Chi-Chi sat down beside her on the floor, holding to her leg and resting her eyes as she listened to her soft singing.

_"Where darkness lies, there be peering eyes. Some be a sweet caress, others be dark, leering spyes. Darkness nearing, pathways meeting..." _She sang in a soft whisper, as Chi-Chi gripped her long leg and smiled, singing,_ "Sunshine bright, full and light. Wide eyes, flowers blooming, in the Iris field so sublime. My sweet mother calls me, come home to me, precious. sunshine call me, home to your greeting."_

Chi-Chi answered, then began to sob as Hana continued to sing in a chanting voice.

_"Tiny ifrit, play me a riddle! Caught up with two prancing ghosts in the middle! I'm dancing on a hot, red fiddle. Fire in my hand, burning up my quick, deft feet, sweep me up with cool blue sand. Meet me in the long, long river of never-never land. Drink it up and sit, forget, whose tounge you whet, with the beast curled at your breast! Ifrit, give me a pet, feast of worlds, you may take all the rest!"_ She crooned in a quickening voice, as Chi-Chi sobbed harder, covering her face with her hands and hiding between Hana's legs.

"Now, now. Come out. It's time to eat." She said, nudging Chi-Chi back to alertness. She had felt heavy with her sadness, but as she lifted her head it lifted as well, and she took the round bowl from her, then sat and ate with her eagerly, eating nearly all of the stew to herself in a sudden surge of hunger. The other woman simply laughed, dishing her out more, and Chi-Chi ate until she was full, blushing as she felt like a glutton.

Hana poured heated milk into small sake cups for them both, Chi-Chi smiled as she sipped, feeling like a child having a warm treat before bed. Chi-Chi and Hana drank many cups of milk, until the pitcher was empty and Hana set the cups aside. Hana took her hand in hers, her long red nails grazing her palms as she turned her hands over and felt the lines there. Then, she stroked the backs of her hands, and gently slapped them. Chi-Chi laughed, and they played the game until Chi-Chi slapped her hands, and she gripped her cold hands in hers and frowned at the brittleness of Hana's hands. She blew hot breath onto her hands and Hana smiled with upturned eyes, her pale face streaked with tears as Chi-Chi did so.

"How come you are so cold, when we've taken a hot bath, sat by the warm fire, eaten hot stew, and drank warm milk?" She said, Hana pulled her hands away quickly and rested them on her lap, hiding her face from Chi-Chi.

"My soul is sick, Chi-Chi-Chan. I cannot feel the warmth, or take nourishment from the hearty stew. I am not like you." She said softly, then looked up through her bangs with deep brown eyes, which as Chi-Chi stared into, she gasped as she felt drawn by the expanding pupils of the woman, which latched it's claws into her subconscious.

Chi-Chi opened her own eyes, and stood, looking around herself in confusion. She was in a dimly lit room, where she walked over to crack open the blinds, which creaked as they opened, lighting the thick layer of dust on them, which rose into the sunlight and fell to the cool floor. The sunlight cast across the floor, as Chi-Chi turned and looked around curiously, then came up on a vision in the room and gasped, as the air thickened and became heavy with the scent of putrefication. Chi-Chi stared, her eyes open wide as her father walked to the side of a large king sized bed, fluffy with many pillows and blankets.

"Ji-Ji-Chan, my dear. Little Chi-Chi is here." He said carefully, showing her the small child cradled in his large arms. The child lifted her head and peeked out at the diminutive figure in the bed. Ji-Ji's pale face was surrounded by her blue-black hair, which still shone healthily in the dim light. Gyū-Maō held Chi-Chi up so that Ji-Ji could see her, and smiled with beads of tears in the corners of his eyes as his wife lifted her hand weakly, and reached for her daughter's. Chi-Chi cooed and reached out, then they touched hands, and Chi-Chi gripped the long fingers of her mother, cooing louder and laughing as Ji-Ji clasped hers back.

"Mother...?" Chi-Chi said in a hollow voice, walking closer to the specters, inspecting the way the woman looked as she was sunken into the thick goose-down pillow, her skin was pallid, her face, sunken in as a result of her terrible wasting disease.

"Chi-Chi..._Where darkness lies, there be peering eyes. Some be a sweet caress, others be dark, leering spyes. Darkness nearing, pathways meeting..." _She whispered, as her hand shook from exertion, and Gyū-Maō took her hand carefully and pulled her into his arms, holding the small, frail woman across one arm as he held Chi-Chi cradled in the other so that she could embrace her daughter.

_"Sunshine bright, full and light! Wide eyes, flowers blooming, in the Iris field so sublime... My sweet mother calls me, come home to me, precious! Sunshine darling, call me, home to your greeting!" _Little Chi-Chi sung happily, not capturing the meanings.

The present Chi-Chi covered her mouth as a sob wracked through her body, and her father began to sing in a jovial chanting voice.

_"Tiny ifrit, play me a riddle! Caught up with two prancing ghosts in the middle! I'm dancing on a hot, red fiddle. Fire in my hand, burning up my quick, deft feet, sweep me up with cool blue sand. Meet me in the long, long river of never-never land. Drink it up and sit, forget, whose tongue you whet with the beast curled at your breast! Ifrit, give me a pet, feast of worlds, you may take all the rest!"_ He then laughed, with a deep booming voice, and sunk to his knees and suddenly sobbed, clutching the two women to him as the room faded to black.

Chi-Chi's eyes danced with a tiny flame as a pot of milk boiled over a fire, as little Chi-Chi sat playing with her dolls. She never even noticed the bubbling milk overflowing, it dried and the kettle began to steam, and heated up until it was red hot. She wanted to have warm milk before bed like her mother used to make before she got sick, but Chi-Chi fell to sleep. The pot exploded and embers lit on the dusty curtain, and fire crept up it, and crawled up onto the ceiling, bathing the entire room in fire.

"No!" She cried out, shaking her head. Chi-Chi covered her eyes as she heard Hana's voice once again, whispering softly under the hissing and crackling of fire.

"It wasn't your fault, darling... Shhh..."

"Momma!" Chi-Chi cried out aloud and screamed, falling backwards onto the black floor as the flames surrounded everything around her, and Hana stood before her primly, her hands clasped before her turquoise cheongsam dress as she appeared healthy again, and smiled.

"It wasn't your fault, Chi-Chi...I was suffering for a long time, but I'm free now! I loved you so much, sweetie. I have had so much fun meeting you! I'm sorry I couldn't have watched you grow into a beautiful woman. But you don't need me, Chi-Chi. You have been strong all along."

Ji-Ji-Hana then turned, and the flames darkened, until Chi-Chi was back in the cavern, sitting upright on the floor, gasping. She looked to her mother, and Ji-Ji slowly stiffened and turned blue, then cracked and fell into a sheet of sand, which as Chi-Chi cried and scooped up with her hands, became stringy and silky until it became the blue fur blanket, and Chi-Chi fell onto it sobbing, cradling it to her face as it dried her tears.

* * *

Rachanā lifted her head and blinked wearily as they continued the uphill ascent, which seemed to never end in the underground cavern. She gripped Bdakka's arm for support, squeezing his bicep as the stocky Saiyan moved upwards with little struggle, he simply continued his steady pace with the Gemini slung over his shoulder.

Bdakka noticed his mate had slowed down, as he glanced down at her quickly. He paused and swept her up into his arms, then continued their ascension.

"You smell that?" General Nappa at the front paused, turning back to the other Saiyans. Bdakka's fingers curled around Rachanā's body as he scented what the general was speaking of. It was an offal scent like curdled milk, or rotten eggs, a miasma of petrified death.

"That disgustin' smell? Even I can smell that. We're getting closer to the rotted old geezer." Kannon sneered, from where Nappa was carrying her on his back. She tightened her arms around his neck and rested her cheek on his back, as they continued their onward march, now falling silent as each one reminisced on their experiences with Vulcane.

Candor walked astride Nappa, his destined mate Zenaya sat on his arm and wrapped her arms around the tall man's shoulder. Candor's expression tightened bitterly, as he mused on his predicament. He was once a Royal Elite guard for King Vegeta and Queen Vasenya. Now, after a long 23 years imprisoned, he was full of spite for the Gemini that had tortured him and marred his tail. Candor didn't have to look to hear Onioan behind him, with each heavy foot fall and labored grunt.

They narrowly escaped the explosion of Planet Vegeta, when the ship they were in took off before it could load the rest of the passengers. Candor was to lead the expedition, carrying Onioan and the mid-level guards to safety. But they never arrived. He growled lowly and lifted one boot, then slammed down the other as they at last came to the summit. The cave floor evened out and the group spread out as they explored the new opening.

* * *

"Let's forage for food. Onioan.** Find food."** Nappa ordered, and the large man nodded eagerly, swiping his fat tongue over his lips before crawling on his hands and knees, searching for anything edible. Nappa sat down on a rock with a heavy sigh. Kannon got up and looked around herself curiously, staring up at the sparkling sandstone ceiling banded with translucent quartz. Nappa removed his breast plate and scratched at his stomach, removing multiple scabs as the pinkened new skin underneath was at last fully healed.

"Found! Found food!" Onioan cheered out happily, before stomping over to Nappa to show him his findings. He held out the dessicated remains of something vaguely humanoid. Nappa sniffed sharply and scoffed.

"No, can't eat that. That's saiyan." He said, tearing his eyes away. Onioan looked down and pouted.

"This...like _me?"_ He said, cradling the blackened flesh to himself.

"Dead." Nappa said softly, and Onioan dropped the corpse quickly, with a shudder.

Kannon looked back to the large man with sorrowful emerald eyes. "Oh, Onioan." She walked over to him as he covered his face and shivered, placing one hand on his broad back.

"It's ok, big guy. You find. Good at finding." She said soothingly, and he looked down at her and sniffled. "Kannon cook?" She smiled, "Yeah, whatcha want?"

Onioan lowered his head so she could scratch behind his ear. "Hungry." He simply pouted, and she smirked.

"I have an idea, wanna see something cool?" She smiled. Kannon pulled back and looked down at the corpse. Onioan clasped his large hands together and nodded, looking on in curious wonder.

"This may seem unsavory, but I can change it for the better." She said, and squatted down and placed her hands on it, closing her eyes. A golden glow surrounded her hands, then the mummified Saiyan. The glow burned brightly, then disappeared. What remained, was roasted chickens for all the Saiyans and herself.

"Yuh-mmy!" Onioan clapped his hands together giddily, his dark eyes sparkling with innocent amusement.

"Chicken! Kannon magic!" He said, then grinned as she handed him one, and he quickly tore into the meat happily.

Kannon passed them around and they ate, not speaking on how her alteration magic worked, or on the fact that the tasty chicken they all consumed, was in essence only made because the life energies that once supported the corpse, had been enough for her to transform. It was not truly cannibalism, but instead; eating a tasty illusion that held only the nutrients that would have been in the corpse, now the flesh was revived; the bones altered, but wholly new and fleshed out into something edible.

They ate it quickly, as if afraid the meat would suddenly rot and wither. The Saiyans ate it, meat and bone, while Kannon took the drumstick that Nappa offered her and nibbled on that while she rested after using her magic. Candor saw Nappa's action and did the same, tearing off the leg of his own and handing it to Zenaya. The female stared at the meat curiously, then up at him and blushed before taking it with a small smile. Candor nuzzled his nose in her coppery black mane, lit dimly by the bioluminescent glow of the large crystals above.

Bdakka growled as he tore into the carcass, then grated the bone easily between his teeth. He shook his head as he tore off another large section, he and Rachanā ate eagerly, he and the dark olive skinned female were both noticeably different from the other Saiyans. All saiyans had black hair, black eyes, but they were from the southernmost populace of Planet Vegeta, where it was overpopulated by low classes, and he and Rachanā had lived a less desirable life.

Both had long, thick plaited hair, and black armour with green accents. As Bdakka was wholly concentrated on his food, Rachanā lowered her portion and sighed, licking her lips as she stared up at the curious ceiling and narrowed her almond eyes. "I sense something there, above. He is waiting for us." He said softly, then looked down with a solemn expression before biting into the meat eagerly, chewing quickly like a wild animal securing it's kill.

She remembered how her and Bdakka escaped, along with Tyurni, her sister. Rachanā and Tyurni were two of the most beautiful Saiyan females in Vradashmi, but because of Bdakka's low class, they struggled to get by on the mere coin he made as a foot soldier patrolling the streets. The slumlord had given them a loan to fix the leaky roof on their small ramshackle shack, then another loan to pay the Tivby that allowed them to stay inside the slum land gates, along the narrow streets where many slaves worked to keep Vradashmi running, farming the rocky soil, and pumping what little red water they could from the earth.

When Bdakka was sent to outland patrol on the trade planet, a promotion the slumlord boasted was a great gift, Rachanā and Tyurni were captured, and outfitted as Saiyan concubines. It wasn't long before Bdakka caught wind, hearing Rachanā's cry for help through their shared mental connection. It was then that he returned and slaughtered the slumlord and all his men, and used the stolen trade ship to fly them out into space.

Rachanā licked her fingers clean and leaned against Bdakka, although he had a roughened exterior, he was very kind. Bdakka grunted and cleaned his teeth with a splinter of bone, then listened in as Nappa stood, having finished his meal. Kannon assisted him back into his armour then he addressed them all.

"Ok, men. We know that the Gemini has a female, and in that case, he can use her to heal himself. We must separate Vulcane from the female, then.." Nappa continued speaking, but Rachanā was frozen stiff in place as something clasped onto her head and dug into her skull. Grenada grinned a toothless smile, his bloody lips revealing the gaping void within as his ebony slick hand shot from over Bdakka's shoulder and he seized her by the skull, then Bdakka by the back of his neck, his arm sheathed in phosphorus flame as he withdrew enough life force from Rachanā to heal his broken teeth, regrow his severed tongue, and give him a surge of power rushing through his veins, reinvigorating him. Bdakka snarled and pulled Grenada's hand from his mate as she fell to the ground, gasping for breath.

Rachanā passed out as Bdakka swung Grenada off himself and slammed him down to the hard cave floor. Nappa surged forward, towering over the curled figure on the ground. He and Bdakka exchanged growls, baring their teeth. There was an unhinged cackle as Grenada sat up on the ground beneath the two large Saiyans and rolled up in a backwards somersault, before straightening skillfully. He made his well-trained landing and chuckled lowly, as the Saiyans looked at him with rage in their black eyes.

"Hhm... Ahh..." Grenada sighed, licking his teeth with his tongue.

"Much better...Mhm.. and what a tasty little thing she is... hmhm.." He purred, glancing back at Rachanā as she got to her feet and backed away from him quickly in fear.

"You bastard!" Bdakka growled, balling up his fists. "I'll kill you!" He snarled, shaking his head with a wild look flashing through his eyes. Grenada crossed his arms, which now as they all observed him, his arms were noticeably puckered by burns, the blackened flesh was cracked in places, and had a dull sheen in others like powdered coal.

"Grenada..." Kannon suddenly stepped forward, shoving through Nappa and Bdakka carelessly in her rage. Nappa grit his teeth and looked on, holding back Bdakka with one hand on his thick shoulder. Bdakka tore himself away and attended to Rachanā, pulling her safely away from Grenada.

"Hnhm. Kannon. Traitor bitch." He grumbled, lowering his face. His eyes danced with phosphorescent rage as he eyed her up and down, then swiped his tongue over his cracked lips.

"You look like one of _them_. Hmhm. Although, I suppose you were all along, hmm?" He sneered, narrowing his eyes on her as he eyed the glossy black and red Saiyan armour. Kannon smirked, then moved swiftly into a fighting stance.

"I am. Maybe I wasn't born a Saiyan, but I'd rather be one of them than be like **you**." She snapped, then smirked as a red light surrounded her hands, that swirled and snapped with her unleashed power.

"Kannon. Hmhm...You're so lovely when you're mad. Mhm, although, it _was_ that temper that did always get you punished." He chuckled, seeing the pained look in her eyes that turned to anger.

"Shut up, freak. I've had enough of you!" She screamed, and lashed out at him quickly with furious punches, as Grenada darted away, chucking. Kannon's fists swung wildly with her rage, until she at last caught his smirking face by the jaw and turned his cheek with the enraged blast. Grenada stood stiffly, frowning as a trickle of blood ran down his chin.

"Hmm. That was unwise." Grenada said lowly, and at last uncrossed his arms, only to grip Kannon by the shoulders. With a bellow of his rage, he screamed and a great sheet of green flames bathed Kannon at once, causing her to scream out in agony. She crumpled to the floor on her side, her clothes steaming from the heat. Nappa rushed forward and blasted the Gemini into the wall with one powerful punch into his sternum, the impact of which caused fractures in the rock wall, and the ceiling rained down red sand.

"You fucking freak, you've gotten much too confident." Nappa sneered, then looked to his side at Kannon as she got to her feet. She saw the concern in his eyes and smiled, nodding to let him know she was ok.

The secret to Grenada's flames was that they only burned you if you allowed them to. Gemini were a race that was not inherently powerful like a Saiyan. Their power laid in their mental strength, and to a person that was convinced that they deserved the pain he was inflicting, the flames would hurt and physically burn them. But, someone wise to the flames' true nature, would resist being harmed.

"It's time we put you in your place." Nappa grinned, as Grenada opened his eyes from where he was sunken into the rock wall, and placed one hand on Kannon's back. She smiled, stepping forward and reached for the chord hanging over her shoulder.

"No! No!" He screamed, and immediately began writhing in place, struggling to free himself, as he watched in terror. Kannon pulled the rope, and there was a sharp click as the fuse on the end of the large cannon blaster was lit. Her cannon was a physical object, not powered by telepathy. It was a weapon, cold, hard steel.

There was a slow rolling, then an enormous blast that propelled the cannon ball as she stood firmly, her shoulder jerking back skillfully to withstand the whiplash as the cannonball tore from the barrel and buried itself in Grenada's innards. He screamed in terror and struggled to free his arms from the rock wall as the shiny black ball nestled itself in his abdomen comfortably, before exploding. He bellowed out in agony as the cannonball burst and blasted his organs out from his belly in a red splash onto the floor, then spilled down his groin.

He groaned lowly, and at last freed one arm in order to feel the state of his eviscerated abdomen. He groaned in despair, as Nappa stepped forward, grinning widely with a mad, rabid glaze over his eyes as he watched the blood spill out and cackled sadistically.

"She's a hot little firecracker, isn't she?" He said, amused, as Grenada moaned in pain. His suffering satisfied Nappa, as his hands sweated with the desire to pulverize his flesh. Nappa looked to Kannon once more, and she curled her lip back, and pulled once more, hard. The ball tore from the barrel and lodged itself in his sternum this time, knocking the breath from him in a pained wheeze. Bone splintered inside of him as it exploded, his eyes rolled back and he drifted in and out of consciousness. Nappa rumbled in his chest with a gravelling purr of sadistic pleasure, his ki surrounding his skin and alighting it as Kannon lowered her hand and crossed her arms.

"Do it. Kill him, Nappa. I **want** you to." Kannon said, and Nappa's black umber eyes glistened under his brow as he advanced on Grenada.

"Anything you ask, Pinchie," He growled, then raised one hand surrounded by golden sparks. The others began backing away quickly as the ground began to rumble, Nappa chuckled as he lifted two fingers, and Grenada could only begin to scream as blue light suddenly rushed up around him, his form lost in the light as his body became white with the heat of Nappa's volcanic explosion blast, and a round eruption of light exploded from the ground and made a clean gaping wound in the cavern, the dust from the blast raining down as the Saiyans all rose up. Nappa clutched Kannon to him and they were bathed in the bright light as she hid her face in his armour.

"There. That rotten little shit is finally dead." Nappa said, and laughed.

"Didn't mean to blast the entire place to smithereens, but oh well." He laughed, and they landed on the beach. The other Saiyans looked around themselves in wonder as the sunlight bathed their skin, Onioan yelled happily and ran towards the ocean, the others following to stare out at the water in wonder, as it glittered with golden light, the deep ocean tumultuous with the rising of the tides.

"It's beautiful here... So much water." Rachanā whispered to Bdakka as he held her in his arms, and smiled.

"We're free, Rachanā. Breathe the fresh air at last my sweet." He whispered to her, not before they all stiffened to hearing a rasping laugh at their backs.

They all turned quickly, and saw Vulcane rising from the dust, his brightly colored robes swirling around him and the pale skinned woman in his arms with dark auburn hair.

"Tianshae..." Kannon whispered, her eyes wide. "She's alive...?"

"What a lovely sight to behold, is it not? The sky all bathed in fire, the celestials! They are heavenly beings, are they not?" Vulcane sang out, the eclipse reflected in his maddened, magma filled irises as he rose higher until all were below him. He then sneered, and rose his arms, Tianshae floated off to the side and stared down at them with an evil glare, as Vulcane displayed the sheer power in his veins with a great wave of energy radiating out from him that rumbled through the air in a sonic boom, then crackled as it hit the sand.

There was a quickening darkness falling over East city, as the planets shook from the sheer power held inside this one mortal being. It reverberated all through the soil and shook the earth as Vulcane pulled energy from the very soil, cackling in his insanity.

"You will all make a delicious fire in my belly, each and every one of you shall be sacrificed!"

"No! It's wrong to use our people's power in such a way! What have you done?!" A shout came from his back, as Piccolo looked up from the ground and snarled at him. Vulcane looked down and smirked, seeing the familiar appearance of a Namekian.

"Go on and return to your plants, poor Namek. You have no power here." Vulcane scoffed, completely unphased by his presence.

"Release the Guardian from your grasp. Return the planets to their proper alignment, Gemini." Piccolo and Kami growled at once, and Vulcane simply laughed, before raising one hand and moving two fingers into a pinching motion, before laughing hysterically at everyone's reaction as the planets moved in turn, and slowly eclipsed over the sun, bathing all in darkness.

* * *

"Here, sweetheart, have a drink." Bunny said softly, covering her small snicker as she startled Vegeta, who had dozed off in the chair with Bulma still on his lap. The two perked up, looking to one another with surprise before Bulma laughed nervously a little and sat up straight, taking the glass of cool black tea that appeared red in the dark light. Bulma cocked her head at her mother, who was wearing dark sunglasses and a shady hat.

"Mom? What are you _wearing?_ How long have I been asleep!?" She suddenly gasped, looking out the large glass windows to see the darkened sky with a ring of fire at the center. She squinted her eyes and groaned, turning away.

"Here, dearie." She said, handing her a glass of tea and a large pair of sunglasses. Bulma put them on to shield her eyes from the bright sunlight.

"Oh, and you napped only for an hour or so. Unfortunately ya missed the Eclipse show!" Bunny tutted gaily, as if the event weren't foreboding at all. Bulma took a gulp of the tea and looked to Vegeta, whose brow was furrowed as he stood and looked out the window inquisitively.

"Vegeta! You'll burn out your retinas!" Bunny cried out and ran to him, pulling on his firm shoulder. He turned and stiffened as she put sunglasses on him, then he frowned and turned back around, crossing his arms as he looked back out the window.

"Your friends Radish and Lunch are upstairs, Bulma. The poor dear! Do you know what happened?"

Bulma shook her head, confused as Vegeta turned back, removing his sunglasses. "We came to visit her after hearing that she had a little accident, and I brought her a bouquet of flowers. Turns out, she's got _real_ bad allergies! She sneezed so hard the blue dye came right outta her hair!" She said with an exaggerated voice, completely convinced of her own story.

Bulma rose one eyebrow at her mother, sipping her tea before she interrupted Bunny's confusing train of thought.

_"Well, _that poor girl is so ill! That sweet Radish man is taking care of her upstairs in the spare room! Isn't that just the _sweetest_ thing? Oh, by the way Vegeta, we had to move you down the hall while they fix the wall, hope ya don't mind!"

He growled aloud and tossed the sunglasses on the floor, "Foolish old woman! Spare me of your inane ramblings and fetch us a lunch worthy of a prince!" He spat, before storming past to go inspect his new room, inwardly hoping it wasn't too close to Raditz and Launch's next mating session that was sure to happen. If he had to listen to **one** more second of her mother's idiotic ramblings he would explode.

"Oh Veggie! Don't worry, there's a whole buffet upstairs! Would'ya let them two know it's ready?" Bunny said sweetly, smiling with upturned eyes as he froze in place at the demeaning nickname she'd decided to give him.

"Oh, uh, thanks Momma! Why don't you go tell Daddy I need to have a conversation with him about our new guest, Launch?" She said, only partially bluffing as she rushed to Vegeta's side and attempted to usher him away before he lashed out on her mother.

_First '**Buhgeeta',** now **Veggie**?! What am I, a complete mockery to these women?!_

He growled to himself, then became distracted by the scent of food as Bulma led him to the kitchen.

* * *

Launch huffed, crossing her legs tightly. She glared at Raditz as he struggled to push buttons on the remote; his large fingers squashing all the buttons and causing the channels to flip wildly on the large flat-screen TV, slurping loudly from a tall bottle of coke with a straw coming out. He wore sunglasses, as did Launch, after the psycho woman that was Bulma's mother insisted they shield their eyes from the Eclipse. Launch pushed her sunglasses up over her hair and sighed, before snatching the remote from Raditz's hand.

"Whaddya wanna watch, caveman!?" She growled, crossing her legs then shoving the dress down between them. The freaking idiot hadn't even thought to put underwear on her!

"Grappling!" He said, his eyes suddenly lighting up. Launch raised one eyebrow, "What, you mean _wrasslin'?_ You know, fighting?" She said, tilting her head curiously. He nodded enthusiastically, and Launch had to smirk. She shrugged her shoulders and put in the channel number she knew from memory.

"Yes! This is my favorite!" Raditz smiled and leaned back on the bed with one arm behind his head, pushing the sunglasses up over his hair like Launch had. She crossed her arms and avoided looking at the screen, instead sitting stiffly. She licked her lips as she looked to the coke bottle in Raditz's hand and gulped. He moved his hand almost instantly and offered her the bottle. Launch jumped a little, then scowled at him.

"You can have it. You haven't drank anything since last night, coke is _your_ favorite. I don't care for the little bubbles tickling in my nose." He said, and she took the bottle and sipped, soda was one of the only things that actually calmed down her stomach. So she drank it, then sat down next to him and watched TV.

They sat in silence for awhile, laughing here and there, or shouting at the TV, before there was the sound of the phone ringing.

"What the hell is that incessant noise?!" Raditz growled, straining to hear the TV. Launch picked up the phone, puzzled.

"Yello?"

"Hello, I'm told this is where Mrs. Launch is staying?"

"Yeah, that's me...?" She said, warily.

"I'm one of the nurses that treated you today, we ran your blood samples through our system, and we have _wonderful_ news for you and your husband!"

"My-my-my what?!" She stammered, glancing back at Raditz nervously.

"_Congratulations! _He's going to be a father!" The nurse shouted out happily, and Launch's entire body froze.

"To... to... my...?"

"Yes, it's a miracle! You're pregnant!"

"But we never had **_sex!"_**

That was the one word Raditz heard, and turned to look at her with widened eyes. Launch looked back at him in shock, dropping the phone.

"Um, surprise...?"


	25. And Darkness whispered; Saerasamour

_Last Time : Gemini Saga ..._

_"Yes, it's a miracle! You're pregnant!"_

_"But we never had **sex**!"_

_That was the one word Raditz heard, and turned to look at her with widened eyes. Launch looked back at him in shock, dropping the phone._

_"Um, surprise...?"_

Present

Launch shrugged and gave Raditz a cheesy grin, hoping for her sake that he would be understanding. Launch had never intended on becoming pregnant, but apparently her other self and Raditz had other ideas. The tall man before her just stared dumbfoundedly at her, slack-jawed.

"You...? You're... carrying _my_ child? _Mine?"_ Raditz breathed, and Launch felt her heart racing rapidly as he stared at her with widened eyes, she could only nod quickly, before squeezing her eyes shut.

_I knew I was pregnant, I found out this morning... But, I thought it was Tien's... I would have never expected it could be Raditz's. I'm almost... relieved?_

Launch's chest heaved as she held back a shuddering sob, the pain she felt knowing Tien would be disappointed in her... He would think she'd replaced him immediately after his death, and also angry that she had been the one to initiate such a thing knowing that he didn't agree in the first place, instead she had seduced him... Launch gasped as she felt heat suddenly surrounding her as Raditz embraced her tightly to his body and lifted her onto his lap, crushing her body into his.

"I never thought I would be a father..." He said, his voice threatening to crack.

"My father never seemed to be glad to have me, I always thought a child was a burden to have, before... I commited cruel acts to prevent the possibility, but now.." He murmured into her hair, sighing. Then Raditz pulled back and held Launch up high to observe her, his eyes glittering as he gazed at her.

"Now, I welcome the idea of becoming a

father, if it's with you... as the mother."

Launch turned her face away and stifled a sob, feeling ashamed of herself instead of proud.

"Look at me." He said huskily, and Launch shook her head of blonde curls.

"Launch. Look at your mate."

"I'm not-! I'm not your mate!" She whined, her voice timid and mouse-like as she quivered, afraid to look him in the eyes.

"Don't be ridiculous, girl. I am **not** angry with you. Launch. Look into my eyes and you'll see."

He said softly, attempting to talk to her as delicately as he could. Launch gulped and turned her head, opening her emerald eyes and allowing her tears to fall.

"You remember, our first kiss?" He said gently, stroking his fingers across her cheek to dry her tears. Launch gulped, of course, how could she forget? She'd felt it the same as her other self, but now, as he looked at her intently, she felt guilty for having enjoyed it too.

"Yes, I... But I wasn't supposed to!" She yelped, before the air rushed out of her in her sudden surprise as he pulled her down and crushed his lips to hers, silencing her complaints in an instant. Launch closed her eyes and melded into his kiss, relaxing her tension as she felt every loving press of his lips on hers, as he tangled one hand in her hair, and the other squeezed her hip, Launch moaned into his lips as Raditz flipped her over onto the bed, wrapping her leg around his waist as he showed her his approval. She could barely breathe as he at last pulled back, and glared down at her with an intense gaze.

"See, you _do_ remember... and if you don't, then I'll refresh your memory... If you're going to carry my child, I'm going to claim both of you as mine, as many times as I have to until you forget who you are, and **stop** saying that you are not her." He said sternly, leaving her little room to disagree, not that she wanted to...

Launch felt heat rushing up from her chest and pulsing in her cheeks as she struggled to speak. Her mouth hung open as she panted, her eyes never leaving his as Raditz lowered his head and swathed heat across her chest, and up to her throat, then grazed her neck with his teeth. Launch scrabbled for purchase on his wide back, and dug her nails in as she cried out, and their tails found one another and coiled together tightly.

"I'm going to mate with you...Until I am _absolutely certain_ you will bear my child." He whispered in her ear, and she felt herself clenching inside with wanton desire as his words heated her inside and out, and Launch gasped out as she felt him lower his body down to hers, the hard fabric of his jeans coarse against her delicate folds as he ground himself to her.

"Hey you guys! It's lunchtime!" Bulma suddenly rapped on the door, spoiling the moment as they both paused what they were doing. Raditz frowned and began to stand, when Launch pulled him back down and wrapped her legs around him, attacking his mouth with hers, silencing his muffled protests for food as her devious tongue snaked in his mouth.

"Raaadiiiitz? Lauuunch?" She knocked again, and Launch growled out viciously and threw a coke bottle at the door, shattering it on impact.

"Get outta here! We're busy!" Launch snapped, to Raditz's surprise. Bulma yelped from the other side of the door and took off, knowing blonde Launch's rage all too well.

"Now, where were we?" Right, you were about to take them pants off, big guy." She said devilishly, and Raditz looked down and smiled, peeling off his black tank top first, giving her a good view of his toned body, before unbuttoning his pants and taking them off quickly. Launch shivered with anticipation as he came nearer, feeling herself quivering with excitement, her legs growing wobbly as he gripped her thighs and parted them. Launch blushed, remembering that he had forgotten to put underwear on her. Her dress crinkled up and exposed her as her legs spread, and Raditz looked down and licked his lips at the sight before him of his unclaimed female simply dripping wet for him. He chuckled, as he took one finger and swirled around the fluids and coated it.

"You've been waiting for a long time, for me to at last admire your body in the way I have the other, haven't you...?" He said huskily, dipping his fingertip teasingly inside her, then flicking it on her tender flesh.

Launch's body shook in reaction and she cried out, only able to nod as she glared down at her and grinned. Raditz used his other hand to pull down her dress, slowly pulling until the suspenders snapped and her breasts were exposed to him, her rosy buds bursting out and prickling as he lowered his mouth. Launch growled and moved her hips up to make him move his hand, greedily rubbing herself on his palm as he cupped her heated mound and chuckled.

"You're an eager one, aren't you...? Let's savor the moment before your mind can no longer process thoughts, right now... I want you to beg for me..." He whispered, then lowered his mouth to her chest and pulled her nipple in between his lips and played with it, as he stroked her slick folds lovingly with one hand, closing his eyes as she began to moan for him. Launch forced his head down to her breast forcefully, and he wrapped his lips around her and sucked harder as he flicked his wrist against her heat, dipping two fingers in and out to prepare her for his girth.

"Raditz.. now... I want it now!" She gasped, he looked up from her chest and smirked, instead moving his hand faster against her until her fluids gushed out and coated his palm.

"Beg me, Launch. I want to hear you say it." He whispered, removing his hand and standing up before her, using her fluids to lubricate his thick member that jutted out over her body eagerly. Launch looked down and licked her lips, her mouth salivating as his hand moved up and down his long shaft.

"You like what you see, naughty girl? Are you ready for me now?" He purred, with a soft chuckle.

She nodded her head and scooched down on the bed, panting in her eagerness. She could feel euphoric shivers rushing through her veins as he pressed the round bulb of him to her and swirled it in circles, his eyelids lowering as Launch squirmed beneath him in reaction to each time he passed over the desired spot that was now aching to be full.

"Say it... you know what I want you to say, don't you?" He demanded now, sending lust flooding through her loins.

"Yes! Raditz, make me all yours..." She pouted, shyly dipping her chin to her chest as he grinned, pleased with her response.

"I want to, very badly...But first I want to ensure that my mate is happy... Launch, will you be my mate?" He said huskily, pressing his body down onto hers. Launch wrapped her legs around him and sobbed into his shoulder with gasps of exuberance, gripping his mane in her hands, then arching her hips up to his.

"Yes, Raditz, I l-love you..." She whispered, and he looked back, a flash of surprise going through his eyes he smiled, then kissed her, holding her lovingly by her backside as they met, and he sunk himself down inside her, pushing himself fully into her as he sighed, "I love you... I love both of you...Launch." Raditz responded as he blinked, the whites of his eyes showing as he savored the feeling of his female closing in around him.

"Ah, you feel... so tight.. mm.." He sighed, staring down at her hungrily.

Launch arched her back and squeezed him tightly as they began to move together, locked by the lips as their hips found synchronicity, it felt so right to have him filling her, her body sheathing around his perfectly as lust fluttered low in her belly. Launch groaned into Raditz's throat and nipped him, scratching at his back for him to go faster. He snarled in response and drew backward, then thrust forward firmly and hit her with a pleasurable impact that made her gasp.

"You want more... like that...?"

She nodded eagerly,

"Yes, I want more..."

"So do I." He purred, then Raditz unlatched her legs from around his waist and laid them across his chest so that her ankles crossed around his ears, and gave her what she was yearning for, hard and fast, fully withdrawing then fully encasing himself until Launch was howling with ecstasy. Her head tilted back, eyes closed as he groaned back to answer her cries, gripping a handful of her soft golden hair to pull her face up to gaze into his eyes as he sunk down and filled her deeply with a shuddering sigh.

Launch gasped for her breath as a quickening feeling burst from inside, that only intensified as he pressed his weight down onto her and ground his hips with hers, their tails coiled tightly at his back as she felt him pass the plushness of her walls and kiss her cervix, then grind against it, his length invading deeply into her core until she keened out with her climax.

"Raditz! I- I'm- Oh my god!" She gasped, and he quickened his pace in response, until he was baring his teeth to resist from releasing himself from the sheer strength of his female's orgasm clenching and pulsing around him. Once Launch lost her tension and sighed, he kept going at a relaxed pace until she was sated, and became like putty in his arms. Raditz smiled and pulled back, sliding her smooth legs through his hands as he removed himself, then flipped her deftly onto her stomach.

"Oh, don't stop...what-!" Launch moaned, then gasped when he found her entrance and thrust himself back in, pulling her body down firmly to meet the base of his shaft, grunting as their tails loosened and hers came around to curl around his waist and pull him closer.

"Launch..." He whispered, and slowed his pace to suit her needs, her legs folding around his backside as she lay face down on the bed. She turned her cheek and sighed, "Raditz..." Before moaning into the pillow as he took her harder for his own release, using his tail to caress between their bodies, his hands cupping her breasts, his abdomen flexing with each brisk thrust. He then leaned down until her back arched beneath him, Launch cried out as he drove into her from a sharp angle, before licking her shoulder, then pulling her hair back to find the sweet spot where her skin had become pinkened and glowing.

"**You're mine.**" He growled, then sank his fangs deep into the muscle. This caused her to shriek with delight; as the secret area throbbed with newfound erogenous nerve endings. Raditz rolled his eyes with pleasure and nursed on the sweet syrupy blood that oozed out, the mark on his own throat becoming glowing red in response, as he thrust once more into her and shook as he pumped out his arousal, collapsing atop her, kissing her back where the mark now bled. The small pinpricks from his teeth still remained; throbbing with lasting sensations.

Launch turned around and wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him as he laid back on the bed, relaxed, and smiled down at her, at his woman perching on his lap to kiss him fervently. Launch kissed his mouth hungrily, then licked down his throat, clutching his long, spiky black hair in her fists as she sucked on the spicy warmth emanating from his throat. Raditz closed his eyes and stroked her back encouragingly, rumbling in his chest with a satisfied purr when he felt her tongue caress there and taste the hot cinnamon flavor emanating from his mark.

"Bite it, make me yours...please... mark me.." He moaned, pulling her head down closer to him as she laughed into his skin.

"Who am I?" She teased, pulling back to sit on his lap and trace circles on the throbbing red mark. Raditz rolled his eyes and panted, "A tease," He said with slight annoyance, as she shook her head.

"Speak! Come on caveman, use your big words~" She giggled, her emerald eyes sparkling with amusement as she talked to him as if he were a lowly mutt.

"An annoying girl, whom I love very much..." He growled, gritting his teeth as he bared his pulsing throat in open

submission to her. Launch licked her lips, remembering his delicious taste. She moved against his groin with hers where there was still a wet heat; feeling him respond almost instantly, then grip her hips.

"Mark _first_, **then** mate, girl..." He growled, opening his eyes to glare down at her with those obsidian depths.

"Not until you _say it!"_ She pouted, using her demure half to convince him, with enlarged puppy dog eyes that sparkled. Raditz smirked as the little female showed her true nature at last. Her blonde hair slowly turned to chartreuse, then aquamarine, then cerulean, until at last it settled on a vibrant, aegean sea blue-green shade, and her emerald eyes darkened to violet just around the irises.

"_My Girl. _My Little Launch, you are...so beautiful..." He breathed, stunned by her appearance that combined both halves into one whole, as she smiled, then blushed, coquettish.

"I've never shown anyone this but you, Raditz. I'm sorry for keeping my true self from you...I hope you can understand..." She gulped, then squeezed her eyes shut as the blue sand in her mind swirled, and the feelings inside that were so intense began fighting for purchase on each side of the mirror, until it shattered completely. She opened her eyes wide with realization, as the other half awakened fully, then softened her eyes on him, and caressed Raditz's cheek as he recognized her, and smiled warmly.

"I needed to hear it from you, Raditz. I needed you to love me for who I truly am. You always saw me for who I was inside, all along..." She said softly, and smiled back warmly, her eyes upturned as she laughed airly, small tears falling down her flushed cheeks.

"Of course, I knew, all along. Just as I knew that you were a Saiyan. I knew when I looked into your emerald eyes and saw the shy girl inside...You are only you, you are not just the 'Bad Girl' Launch, or the 'Good Little' Launch, you are simply My Launch." He said softly. "Raditz... you are my male, my mate...my husband ...You will be, you're all mine." She whispered, then leaned down and kissed his mark as he looked down, and watched with trepidation.

"Hn, what are you saying...?" He questioned, then shivered as her teeth grazed his skin.

_Husband? What's that...?_

Then, Raditz gasped as she sank her teeth into him and sealed the bond, both halves of her, were now one with him. The mark on her back slowly moved to combine with the mark on her neck, her luminous dark teal locks shining like an oil slick of indigo and violet, bright gossamer bands of gold glittered as she swallowed down the heat in his blood, and then pulled back to kiss the mark apologetically.

"How does one become a 'husband'? Launch...? I want to be what you said." Raditz questioned, tilting his head, then gasped as his wild little female smirked in response and lowered her head down past his waist. He sunk into the pillow with a sigh, running his fingers through her beautiful new shade of hair, then fisted it as he tensed from the naughty things she was doing.

_I suppose that question can be answered later...when her mouth isn't full. She sure is an insatiable little female... I certainly am a lucky man to have her. And now, I'll at last, have my own family..._

* * *

Bulma stuffed a hotdog in her mouth and bit off a large piece, chewing rather angrily after Launch had so rudely told her to leave. There was a whole buffet on the table, the counters, and even boxes from the catering service still sitting on the floor after Bunny realized that Raditz and Launch were much like Vegeta, and they would require a large amount of food. Vegeta was steadily working his way through it, nearly half way through when the couple finally made an appearance, with their clothes slightly crinkled and embarrassed expressions obvious on their faces. Launch had apparently reverted back to her normal blue-haired self again, and Bulma sighed with relief. She didn't want to get in a cat fight with blonde Launch, it would not end well.

"Sorry we're late! Ooh! That looks _tasty!"_ Launch awed, her small hands to her cheeks as she observed the spread with sparkling eyes.

"My apologies, Bulma. We... wanted to finish watching our grappling program first." He said, with a sideways smirk to Vegeta, then sat down at the table. Vegeta snorted, hesitating to swallow the large wad of food in his cheek once he smelled the strong odor of their copulation reeking up the kitchen.

"Oh, it's alright, you two! Here, dig in! Consider yourselves our honored guests!" Bunny said happily, handing them plates and silverware. They eagerly began piling food on their plates, to her pleasure, then Bunny's eyes widened as Launch picked up an entire hotdog, bun and all, and gulped it right down, barely even chewing.

"Goodness! Are you ok, dear?" She asked, suddenly very concerned as Launch narrowed her shoulders and wiped ketchup from the corner of her mouth.

"Oopsie... I'm just so hungry!" She pouted, then her stomach growled so loud that it was heard by everyone in the kitchen.

"You'd better get all the nourishment you can, honey. While in this form you can eat without getting nauseated." Raditz said sweetly, and placed another hotdog on her plate. She blushed as everyone's eyes honed in on her, and Vegeta stood up quickly, wiping his mouth with a disgusted grimace.

"Don't tell me, you've sired a brat_ already?_ Why am I surprised? I can smell the foul scent of your intermingling." He snorted, as if there were an offensive smell, but nobody else seemed to smell anything. Bulma looked up at Vegeta and tried to tug him back down into his seat.

"Don't be rude! Let _them_ say it!" She whispered sharply, before narrowing her eyes into upturned cartoon eyes with tiny pupils, chuckling deviously.

It _had_ been Bulma's idea to call the doctor back and have them do a pregnancy test... she had her suspicions about Launch's pregnancy a while back, but she didn't know how to broach the subject to the violent blonde. This was much easier, although slightly underhanded.

Dr. Briefs snickered from where he sat next to his wife, then looked at his cat Scratch with a shit-eating grin. He'd been personally involved in performing the test. He couldn't help it, if Bulma asked him something, he would do anything for his baby girl. No matter how sneaky.

"It's only natural that my Little Launch would become with child, she is after all, my mate." Raditz said bluntly with a gruff snort back at Vegeta, who sat back down with a huff. Raditz shrugged and began digging into the remaining portion that Vegeta hadn't eaten, taking all the interesting types of earth food and stuffing them into his cheeks greedily. He'd worked up quite the appetite after the second round, plus they had to stop so it didn't seem too suspicious.

"Wait... does that mean... She's gonna have a widdle baby?!" Bunny suddenly blurted out, her dazzling blue eyes glittering dreamily as she clasped her hands together and nearly fainted.

Launch giggled, then looked to Raditz bashfully.

"Well, I'm_ really_ pregnant now! Raditz said he would make **sure** that blonde me gets pregnant, and has _lots of babies!"_ She said happily, to his surprise as he stopped where he had opened his mouth up wide to take a bite out of a large sub sandwich, and looked down at her with a panicked expression.

Bulma spit out her drink onto the floor, then Vegeta snorted loudly, which turned into a rough chuckle, and Bunny jumped up and down happily.

"Oh! We have to have a baby shower! Omigosh! What an _attentive_ man!" Bunny said, her face suddenly reddening as she almost fainted with her sheer giddiness.

Bulma finally recovered from her obnoxious laughter and put one hand on Launch's shoulder, patting it.

"Launch, you can only get pregnant once. At least, I think so. I'm not exactly sure in your case!"

"Well, let's not be hasty, Bulma dear. We think it would be wise for you to be looked after carefully, young lady. We also have devices that can examine you closer, to make sure that everything is going as planned during your pregnancy." Dr. Briefs said, then lit a cigarette and puffed, after he himself had only eaten a very small portion of food, the most of which his little black cat had enjoyed.

Vegeta crossed his arms and harrumphed derisively, shaking his head.

"You Earthlings, you'd _seriously _let her carry a child in such an unstable environment? Haven't you ever heard of birthing pods? Incubation...?"

Bulma's mouth dropped open at Vegeta and she made a loud cooing sound that made him suddenly stiffen as she threw her arms around his neck and planted wet smacking kisses all over his flinching face.

"_Oh Vegeta! _You're so thoughtful! How cuuuute!" She cooed, until he managed to wrench her away and rubbed his face vigorously.

"Stop that! It's not '**cute**', Woman! It's necessary to the whelps survival! Any weakling spawn from his bloodline will be sure to be susceptible to **_S_****_udden Infant Death!" _**He growled, and Launch's eyes widened to sorrowful saucers as she considered the terrible possibility.

"Oh! Goodness me... I don't want that!" She gasped, and Raditz wrapped his arm around her protectively, giving Vegeta a cold glare before comforting her.

"That won't happen, I promise, don't listen to him..." He said reassuringly, stroking her arm. Bulma shook her head at Vegeta reprimanding, crossing her arms.

"And here I thought you were being thoughtful! Way to spoil the moment, _jerk!" _She snapped, looking away from him with her nose turned up. Vegeta looked at her with disbelief, rearing his head back with surprise.

"I- I was only being realistic! You know that type of thing can happen, they would be wise to-"

"Alright! I've heard enough!" Launch suddenly snapped, "It ain't none'ya business, short stuff!" She snarled, curling her lip back to display a surprisingly sharp little canine. Vegeta raised one brow at her then dismissed her, standing up briskly and taking off outdoors, most likely to pulverize another tree. Bulma stood up as well, with a sharp growl and took off after him. That left the others at the table, everyone looking at the blue-haired girl. Raditz chucked and kissed her temple approvingly. "That's my girl!"

Bunny and Dr. Briefs both smiled, finding their new guests quite entertaining.

* * *

Yamcha crossed his ankles, from where they rested on multiple pillows, and sighed contentedly. Puar snoozed to the side of him with a full belly, curled up in a little ball.

_Yup, life is good..._Yamcha mused to himself, sipping from a large cup of ice water, as he flipped channels on the TV.

_Hm, watched that yesterday, watched that this morning...Ooh Minor League Baseball is on! _He set the remote down and sighed, placing his hands behind his head and relaxing. Even Master Roshi had snuck his way back into the room, from where he snored in the lazy boy recliner in the corner, with an Ladies Fashion Weekly catalog open on his lap, which was the best thing he could find for 'reading material' in the hospital, but hey, he got treated pretty well, every nurse that walked by made sure he had everything he needed, seeing as he was such a doting grandfather.

Yamcha watched baseball for a while before snoozing off, his complexion had now regained most of its healthy bronze color, and the bags beneath his eyes had faded nearly completely.

"Well, don't you just look adorable?" A voice sneered from above, as Yamcha slowly blinked, his eyes unfocused as he tried to process what was going on.

"I've been worried sick about you, Yamcha! You don't answer my calls, you never check your messages, and now come to find out you're in the hospital and nobody thought to even call me!"

Yamcha groaned and closed his eyes, attempting to go back to sleep, hoping he was just imagining that his on and off girlfriend Fancy was even standing there in the room.

"Hellooo? Don't you dare ignore me! I know you can hear me, Yamcha!" Her voice grew more and more annoyingly shrill as she placed her hands on her hips and started ranting on and on until he couldn't take it anymore and sat up in bed, feeling like he was about to explode.

"What! Why are you even here! Just leave me alone!" Yamcha yelled back, sending Puar flying up and under the bed in fear. He met her spiteful glare and challenged it with his own. Just looking at Fancy, hearing her voice, made him remember how much of an idiot he had been. Yamcha couldn't even remember what he found so attractive about her anymore. She was trashy and cheap. With her frizzed-out dead bleach blonde hair and way too much makeup and spray tan, Bulma could beat her in a beauty contest any day without even trying. But it wasn't just her looks that were the problem, there was much more than just that to consider. Her personality, her attitude, her history...

"Why do you gotta treat me like this? All I ever do is try to make you happy, I came all the way here and I brought you your favorite pizza all the way from East City, I thought maybe you'd be thankful but I guess I was wrong. You're nothing but a _loser_, Yamcha! See if I care if you wither up and die here! You wouldn't have come to see _**me**!" _She huffed indignantly, tossing the pizza box on the floor and stomping on it.

"Bullshit! You're acting crazy! Why don't you just get outta here, and never come back! I never want to see you again!"

"Yeah! Get outta here, ya little hussy! Go back to 123 Kame Turtle House and wait for further instructions!" Master Roshi interrupted with a sly grin, before the door swung open and Fancy paused her stomping on the pizza box.

"Excuse me, you're not supposed to be in here!" Miyuki suddenly hissed, storming through the door with her shoulders tense, her normally soft brown curls fluffed up like an angry cats and her eyes narrowed to pinpricks as Fancy turned around and looked her up and down dubiously.

"Oh, who are you, another of his little side tarts? I'm sure Bulma's been here, hasn't she!?" She snapped, kicking the crushed box to the side, then walking up to her, taking off her hoop earrings.

"I-I don't know who you're talking about, I'm Yamcha's designated nurse! Now, please leave before I am forced to detain you!" Miyuki snarled, and flexed her hand to reveal her needle-thin claws, all while backing up into the wall nervously.

"If you're asking for a fight, I'll give you one!" Fancy yelled back, and pushed her until her head hit the wall and she yelped.

Yamcha looked on, stunned while Master Roshi jumped out of his chair and started cheering. Yamcha shook his head, and tore the blankets off his lap, getting to his feet quickly then approaching Fancy and placing one hand on her shoulder, turning her about abruptly.

"Fancy, you're taking this way too far! Miyuki has done nothing to deserve that kind of treatment! Now please, leave! I'm done with you! For **good**! I wish I'd never laid eyes on you! I should have stayed loyal to Bulma, I would have never been here in the _first place!" _He said sternly, concealing the hurt in his voice with a vigorous shake of his head as he bit back the small lingering urge to soothe her, at seeing the shocked expression on her face.

"I...I hate you! Screw you, Yamcha!" Fancy screamed as she backed away and stumbled out of the room, pushing past Miyuki. Yamcha surged forward and caught Miyuki before her head could hit the floor, then stood her up carefully, dusting off the shoulder of her white uniform.

"Um.. I'm sorry you had to get in the middle of that, Miyuki..." He said, embarrassed. Miyuki got herself together and cleared her throat, combing her fingers through her hair to smooth it out.

"Well, you did what you had to do. Besides, don't you think you're ready to go home now?" She said softly, gesturing to how he had jumped out of bed with no problem. Yamcha looked at the blanket on the floor and sighed.

"Oh, yeah... I guess you're right, I do seem to have my energy back."

"I'll go get your release forms." Miyuki said in a low voice, turning away.

"Wait...! Um... Thank you for everything! I really appreciate it." He said, and watched with slight confusion as her features softened sadly and she nodded quickly, before turning away.

Yamcha scratched his head, as Puar landed back onto his shoulder and watched Miyuki as she walked away, her white tail tucked between her legs.

"Oh... we're going home already?"

"Well, you really mucked things up good, boy! Now what?! I gotta go back _home!"_ Master Roshi grumbled, pouting as he gathered his things and huffed.

"No more cute little nurses, no more being catered to hand and foot! That Launch is always too focused on that big ol' galoot, Raditz these days!" He groused to himself. Yamcha gave him a sideways smile and laughed.

"Well, it was fun while it lasted, but I guess we have to get back to reality, huh?"

Puar made a sad sound and lowered in the air a few feet. "No more Miss Miyuki!" He cried out, then began to sob. Yamcha picked Puar up by the tail and turned him around, chuckling.

"Puar, you got the hots for her?"

_"Noooo, **you** were supposed to!" _He wailed even louder this time, and Yamcha blushed, looking around conspicuously.

"_Shh! _Don't say that so loud! She would never go for a guy like me! Besides, I think it's time I faced my issues head on! First step, win back Bulma!" He said, suddenly confident, and Master Roshi nearly fell over backwards,_ That boy's got some screws loose for sure! If I were him, I'd **never** leave this place with that cute little gal looking after me!_

"Oh...You sure about that, Yamcha...? I thought Dr. Briefs said.." Puar began, but Yamcha muffled his mouth with one hand, before Miyuki walked back in the room and handed him the clipboard, and he sat down and began filling out the paperwork to leave, not seeing the way Miyuki sighed when he put the pen to the paper, a happy grin across his face.

* * *

The mud squelched beneath her feet as Chi-Chi made her way down the sheer cliffside; after experiencing the first trial of darkness, Chi-Chi felt empowered by Ji-Ji-Hana's words. She had the blue blanket wrapped around her shoulders to keep her warm from the brisk mountain chill, but now that she was getting to the base, green grass began to sprout from the mud, and there was signs of a forest growing as she kept going and the weeds grew denser and denser. She came to the base and looked around, feeling slightly confused as sunlight began to filter in through the canopy.

She squinted her eyes and hummed thoughtfully. Korin hadn't really given her any information about what she was jumping into, she was so bold she hadn't bothered to wait around and ask questions. But, Chi-Chi had her suspicions that this world was not quite like her own, although as she looked back, the large mountain had little snow on it now, and looked oddly similar to Mount Paozu.

Chi-Chi smirked, she knew her way around here. Whether or not this was a different dimension, or alternate plane, she knew how to traverse the woods at the base of Mount Paozu very well. She kept walking, removing the blanket from her shoulders, and instead tying it around her waist as the air became more humid and warm. She sighed and stretched her arms out over her head, relaxing now that she felt confident. She let her pace grow languid, as she slowed down and ate some raspberries growing off a vine, then kept going, humming a little tune as she ate them out of the palm of her hand.

Then, out of nowhere she stumbled and landed over top something solid, grunting.

Chi-Chi pushed herself onto her palms.

"Ouch... guess I should watch my step better " She muttered, then sat up and brushed off her palms, seeing that the raspberries had smashed when she fell, and her palms were both covered in red liquid. "That's odd..." She murmured, then licked it. Chi-Chi paused, before gulping. Her eyes widened as she recognized the sweetish-salty flavor of blood... _Saiyan_ blood, like Goku's... Chi-Chi shuddered, staring at her hands, then down. She let out a blood-curdling scream when she finally saw.

"**_GOHAN!"_**

Gohan, her son. Her baby. He was lying on the ground, his neck twisted around at an unnatural angle, with spikes of his spinal column poking out through his skin in bloody spires. She trembled violently at the sight, as she looked to see his open eyes, that had become milky over his normally onyx irises.

"No... he couldn't be! This is a dream!" She gasped, and attempted to turn his head back, which it did, with a sickening crunch.

"Owwie... Mommy, not so hard!" He whined, wincing from the moment just like when she would bandage up his bloody knee-caps, when he was just a little baby and would crawl so fast his knees would get rug burned.

"Oh Gohan! Y-you're ok!" She gulped, watching nervously as he craned his neck around and groaned.

"It hurts... I fell down the mountain..." He gurgled, and spit out a wad of dark maroon blood.

"I know!" She exclaimed, and reached for the tiny pouch in her pocket.

"Here! Take this!" Chi-Chi said urgently, and pushed the senzu bean between his lips. Gohan squeezed his eyes shut and ground it between his teeth, and after a few crunches, he swallowed it and gulped. Chi-Chi looked on with a hopeful gleam in her eyes as there was a dull grinding sound and then his neck began to heal itself, his eyes became dark and glassy once again as the spark of life returned. Gohan blinked a few times, then felt his neck with one hand and swallowed to test it.

"How does it feel?" Chi-Chi asked, as Gohan got to his knees and moved his head side to side. He was still the little boy she remembered, in a green and yellow outfit, with his spiky, short hair pulled back into a messy ponytail.

Gohan stood at last and wrapped his arms around her leg, squeezing tightly.

"Oh, Mommy I was so scared! I thought I was dead for sure! Everything was black for a really long time, then you showed up and I woke up!" He said in a frantic voice, much like how Chi-Chi got when she was frightened.

"It's ok. Shh. We're together now, there's nothing to fear." She whispered, and held his little hand as they walked away from the bloody grass.

* * *

The tree toppled over onto its side with a large, resonating boom that shook the ground as Bulma ran outside and stumbled, knocked off balance by the hard shake. She shielded her hand over her eyes, blinded by the bright ring of light from the eclipse, then a bright lavender beam that pulverized another tree in it's wake.

"Hey! Vegeta!" Bulma screamed, and ran over, befire the next tree fell and shook the ground. She fell, crying out helplessly as he couldn't hear her cry with the hum of energy ringing out around him; Vegeta screamed and his ki burst out around him in a throbbing aura, as he squeezed his eyes shut.

He felt pained. No, envious?

_Raditz. He should be dead right now, instead, he is basking in the afterglow of consummating his mating duties. With a half-saiyan female, nonetheless. The last female saiyan able to bear my heir, but her scent repulses me. Not like Bulma._

Vegeta surged his energy out even farther, the illumination was dazzling as Bulma managed to lift her eyes and squint to see the form that fluttered; became lost within the writhing energy.

"Vegeta!" She cried, and dragged herself just a little farther, clenching her teeth together as she felt the rawness of her knees scraping against the gravel walk way in front of the entrance. He had aimed his beam towards the trees surrounding Capsule Corporation, making precise hits that struck the most sensitive area of the tree and cut it cleanly in half.

Vegeta closed his eyes and basked in the heat of his own energy, the whipping and crackling of ki in his ears deafening all noise around him, sending him into that higher state of being that he always felt when he was killing; he was perfection. A shameless mass murderer, he rivalled in the memory of all the death he had caused, the vast amount that made him a worthy purge-machine. An instrument of death and destruction.

Raditz and Nappa had their share of murders, yes. They had cleared multitudes of planets on their own, of course. But Vegeta had always been Frieza's secret weapon. There were even times he sent him out alone, and Raditz and Nappa were left to wait for further instructions, perhaps even to wait after Vegeta had finished to clean up the mess.

Vegeta smiled bitterly as he sighed and allowed his body to swallow his ki, by consuming it back inside himself he became even stronger. Many warriors let it burst out around them flashily; thinking that was the last stage in powering up; but to swallow it back inside took an immense amount of control, it took a great amount of willpower and strength to withstand the pain of your own ki frying your veins, cooking your skin from the inside out. But Vegeta did not show any sign that he was hurt as the aura sunk in and he lowered his face.

_Bulma. _He remembered Bulma. That's what stopped him from self-imploding. Vegeta knew that he could do it at anytime he wished, to sink that power back in and surge it outward so that it would attack his own body, it would be a very painful, but quick death. He'd considered it many times. It always stayed on the back burner of his mind, and when he was faced with difficulty it seemed to show itself and tempt him. Even at times when all was peaceful, it was just there. The soothing, nagging thought.

But, Bulma. She was his ward. Well-no, not anymore. He had been released from his duty once he admitted he knew she wasn't royalty. But in truth, he'd known for some time. It didn't bother him at all that the woman had lied. In fact, it amused him to no end how her eyes lit up once he called her 'Princess'. He could tell that sparked something in her, she enjoyed the idea of others being subservient to her, just as Vegeta enjoyed hearing others call him 'Prince'. They were very similar in that regard. And that's what was so fun about playing cat and mouse with the silly female. He wanted to dominate her, and she _wanted_ to be pleased, but wouldn't allow him to unless it was on _her_ terms. It was a thrilling concept, knowing the woman could at one moment be submissive, then turn and become aggressive at any time. He smirked as he raised one hand and touched the hickey on his neck.

Yes, she was a worthy female. He would thoroughly enjoy making her his, and he didn't particularly care how long it took, or how difficult it was to get there. He was enjoying the thrill of the hunt, the chase. Vegeta provoked her purposely, waiting for the moment her anger would spark in her eyes and she would lash out at him. In some deep, dark crevasse of his mind he secretly desired for her to dominate him, as well.

The desire to find a strong enough female to challenge him back; to be dominated himself was a primal urge that was deeply ingrained into each Saiyan male. Some may never speak of it, or ever even get to experience it for themselves now that their race was extinct, but he was sure that Nappa, Raditz, and even that fool Kakarrot subconsciously enjoyed when a female dared to challenge them.

He allowed a deep rumbling purr to shake out from his chest and opened his eyes, licking his lips as the crimson color of his heat bloomed beneath his eyes.

"Vegeta!" Bulma cried out once more, this time much weaker, and he at last heard her and turned quickly to see Bulma reaching for his ankle, then her head drooped. He dropped to his knees instantly, looking her up and down in a panicked fervor. He could smell her blood, as he rolled her over and his shadow fell over her. Bulma looked up at him and smiled, wrapping her arms around his neck, but all he could focus on was her bloody knees.

He surged forward to assist her but Bulma stopped him, when her finger traced over the hickey on his neck and she giggled, satisfied that she had left a good mark on him. It was dark purple, and not small by any means as she gave it a small tweak with her finger tips and watched the purple skin turn white, then the blood filled his skin again and he shuddered. Vegeta glared down at her, biting the inside of his cheek as Bulma retracted her hand and curled it to her chest quickly as if fearing he would punish her. He chuckled softly, he loved how Bulma knew that he was a powerful force not to be messed with. In that way, the woman was showing her respect and admiration in a way that perhaps she was not even aware of.

In a wolf pack; the female desiring to be mated would show her submission to only the alpha male, by showing her fear, she acknowledged that she was well aware of his ability to kill her. The she-wolf would lie beneath him with her throat exposed, telling him that she was not a challenge. He was aware by this action, that he could kill her at anytime if he so wished. To some, it may seem odd that the female is placing herself at the jaws of death, but in truth, this only makes her brave.

Bulma looked up to him, her mouth parting as she saw his his eyes flashed crimson and lilac, then back to black as he gazed at her as if she were the most beautiful woman on earth, with that strange blush underneath his eyes that was strangely erotic. She diverted her eyes a moment, then turned her head and showed him her open throat. Vegeta's heart raced wildly in his chest as he looked at her throat, and saw a thin blue vein showing from beneath her pale skin.

"I'm sorry. You were right. I can make a birth pod for Launch if you want, just show me how to make one and we can convince her to-"

"**Shut up.** **Stop** saying you're sorry." Vegeta snapped at her, and her eyes darted back at him in surprise.

"What...?" She whispered, and he smiled down at her, stroking his hands down her arms where they were laced around his neck, her fingers nestled in his hair.

"A Princess does not apologize for herself. I want you to **stop** thinking that you must apologize to me, to thank me for each time I have protected you. I did that out of my own generosity. I never asked you to thank me, though I appreciate the thought. I'm tired of being always bowed to and never challenged. Bulma." Vegeta whispered, and placed his hands on either side of her face to look into her eyes.

"Oh... Ok. Um.." She murmured, tucking in her chin shyly as she bit her lower lip.

"It was a kind thing for you to say. To be so considerate even though you don't like Raditz. You still wanted to let them know they had an option, to ensure their baby was safe. Were all Saiyans born in pods...?" She wondered aloud, and Vegeta found himself answering quickly with no hesitation.

"Yes. It was more suitable for female fighters. As well as the child. A Saiyan child requires a great amount of nutrients, and it was not feasible for a woman to weaken herself to bear a child, when she could be out in the field. So we created birth pods that supplemented them with twice the nutrients." He explained quickly, shaking his head once with the urge to change subjects. Bulma seemed distracted as well, as she seemed to be only watching his mouth move, and carefully stroking her fingers through his hair so gently that it made him purr. Vegeta closed his eyes and leaned down closer, so that Bulma was granted full access to his mane.

"Wow.. your hair is much different than mine. It feels funny!" She giggled, clutching spikes of hair in her hands and pulling slightly. He grunted in response, a small smile playing on his lips.

Vegeta reached down and played with one loose lock of her hair, and held it to his cheek, closing his eyes and taking in the scent deeply.

"Yours is so soft, a woman should have soft hair." He said, and allowed it to drop, instead stroking her cheek. Bulma's cheek felt warm in his palm as he stroked it, and reddened in response to his words.

"Vegeta. Come here, now." She said, and pulled him down forcefully by his hair to kiss her, planting her lips on his and fervently kissing him, fisting her hands in his hair then dragging her nails down his neck. Vegeta growled at her, as he hardened his features and his mouth was a flat line, clenching his teeth together tightly as he resisted the urge to bite her in response. Bulma paused and looked up, releasing her grip to stroke her hand down his sweating temple.

"Why are you so hot? Are you ok?" She asked, and his teeth trembled in his gums as he resisted the urge to chatter them. He was sweating out his old cells, and new ones were being built with each time he fell into another spell of heat sickness. He knew what was happening to his body, but he resisted it. The only way that his rut would end, was by mating. Then he could achieve his fully grown state. Bulma could not know. She would think he was making excuses to get into her bed, or worse, begging her to relieve the pain.

"Come on, I have a fun idea for how we can cool off." She said, snickering, before pulling him down once more to kiss her.

"But, your knees." He was able to stutter out quickly, remembering the whole reason he had knelt down before she made him forget with her kiss.

"Oh, my knees?" She said, and lifted her legs to look at them, the blood trickling up her thighs. Tiny bits of rock had lodged onto her skin and scraped her knees raw.

"Stop looking, let me." He said quickly, and moved down to her side to inspect her, quickly plucking the small bits of rock out.

He heard Bulma sigh and felt satisfied as her body relaxed from his touch, closing her eyes and resting her head in the grass as she peered at the Eclipse from slitted eyes.

"The Eclipse is pretty, isn't it Vegeta?" She said wistfully, and he grunted in agreement, "Ow!" She yelped, as he pulled a deeply wedged piece of gravel out.

"Shh. Do you want to know what is prettier than an Eclipse...?" He said gruffly, as he squeezed her skin in order to remove the last bits of dirt and gravel. Bulma began to whimper, then growled sharply in warning.

"Ok! Yes, tell me...Vegeta, it hurts!" She cried out, then bit her lip to stifle her whimper. She wanted to be strong in front of Vegeta, he must have thought she was a crybaby for how much she was crying over two scraped knees.

_He would never cry. He's so strong, he gives me strength._

Bulma smiled, then nodded for him to continue.

"My planet was very 'beautiful', as you say. 'Pretty'. The grass was violet, the sky crimson. Our kingdom stood proud before the bright red sky, ivory." He said in a gruff whisper, as he squeezed hard enough to see the last remaining pebble come to a head.

"Larger than any buildings on Earth. Our castle was massive. Grand. But you know what was the most pretty?" He said, and looked up at her a moment. He saw tears brimming in her eyes and looked away again, quickly.

"My mother. She was beautiful. _Saerasamour_. That was how you said it in saiyan. Or pretty. _Belayna_. But that wasnt quite the word to describe Queen Vasenya. My mother was lovely. _Rasesput_. Love. _Rases_." He squeezed harder and the pebble nearly surfaced, before sinking down again. He looked to Bulma and smiled as her hand was over her mouth, her eyes, sparkling.

"My mother, Vasenya was so highly sought after, that many men died in order to take her hand. In tradition, suitors fought for the hand of the queen. My father was already Crown Prince before he took her hand in marriage. Yes, in our society; the only Saiyans that married were the King and Queen.

So, he fought all the other suitors until he was the only one remaining. That was the sport of the game; it was simply our way. He didn't _have_ to fight for her hand. He _wanted_ to.

Lower Class Saiyans like Raditz only mated. Mating, then Marriage was a sacred rite only done in secret. By royals only." He smirked, as the pebble came forward again and he plucked it out deftly, then lowered his face and sucked the blood out quickly from the wound.

"Wow, how romantic... So marriage was a very special thing for your people. People here get married all the time..." She said, her words drifting off, and by the wonderous tone in her voice, she was fully distracted by his story.

"Yes. It was." He said, then spat dirt onto the ground, before lathering her skin with his tongue to clean it. He licked the blood quickly from her thigh and felt her shiver in response. Then, Vegeta moved onto her other knee and began doing the same.

"But, we're getting off topic. I'll tell you, what exactly was prettier than the Eclipse. My mother was beautiful, but she was cruel. I suppose that made her even more attractive." He chuckled, digging rocks out with his nails as Bulma grimaced.

"She wore her mane in a different way everyday. Sometimes it was braided, othertimes it was so intricately wound it was like a maze of black ropes. She decorated it with fragile little chains of silver, and dewdrops of Redonite gems.

But I think my father liked it the best, when it hung down to her waist, wildly. That was very pretty, to him." He said, then popped out another pebble. Bulma hissed, biting her lip to stifle her moans. Vegeta took a deep exhale and began removing the dirt now, and continued.

"But, what I thought pretty was her dress. Deep blue. Indigo, with embroidered blood flowers. They were truly, the color of fresh blood. Blood flowers had a wet center that oozed with the rich, cloying scent of blood. That was why we loved them, some Saiyans were fool to enough to eat them, and found out quickly how the artificial blood was a deadly toxin that made their skin turn purple and burst moments after ingesting it." He said quickly, then licked. Bulma pouted, "Vegeta, you still haven't told me what was more pretty than the Eclipse!" She said with an irritated huff, and he eyed her, winking so quickly that she almost missed it. Bulma was silenced.

"Alright, since you insist." He whispered, then licked again, and watched how her skin slowly began to heal. His saliva had healing properties; and clearly those applied to human skin as well as Bulma looked down at her knees and touched them, amazed. Vegeta hung his head a moment and panted, sweat dripping from his nose and onto the ground as the taste of her blood only intensified his pain.

"Here, tell me in the pool!" Bulma said excitedly, pulling on his arm as she stood with renewed energy. He nodded, following behind as they walked to the backyard, and the swimming pool sparkled beneath the light of the Eclipse; one could truly view it without damaging their eyes, if they looked only upon the glittering surface of the seemingly deep, purple-black depths.

Vegeta stood with one hand over his eyes, rubbing at the rash under his eyes as Bulma undressed. He didn't even see as she stripped down to her black lace bra and panties, her long azure locks like dark lavender in the darkness as she plunged in. He opened his eyes and looked down, as she surfaced and smiled at him.

"Get undressed, Shakespeare." She giggled, and then dipped down in the water like a sea nymph. He looked down and began stripping, removing his boots and jeans, then his white shirt until he was left in his black boxer shorts. Vegeta stepped through the grass, looking down as the green grass between his toes seemed blue; and for a moment all seemed alien, as his vision swum and he could have sworn he was on Planet Frieza. That's what the blue grass and black sky reminded him of for just a fleeting moment; before there was a break in the silence and Bulma giggled.

"Don't just tease me, handsome. Why don't you come join me, or are you afraid to get _wet_...?" She said, in a silky voice that tugged at his loins as he snapped his neck up and met her gaze. The woman's eyelids lowered appreciatively as she fearlessly gazed up and down his body and blatantly admired the semi-aroused state that he was in, visible beneath the tight cotton material. Vegeta smirked and walked closer, before jumping in the pool and diving down beneath her, as he heard her react with a playful scream.

He opened his eyes beneath the cold, invigorating water and swam around in circles before resurfacing and lacing his arms around her waist. Bulma laughed and squirmed around coquettishly, turning her face to look at him as he rested his chin on her shoulder.

"Hmm?" She hummed knowingly, but he wouldn't give her that satisfaction just yet, as his tail swished around in the water and wrapped around her leg sneakily. Bulma gasped in reaction, before shivering from his touch. His body was so warm that that cold pool water simply evaporated off of him, as Vegeta purred into the hollow of her throat.

"Hn. So where were we? Oh yes, you wanted to know what is more beautiful than the Eclipse, my mother, or you...?" He said teasingly, and chuckled easily when she gave him an astonished expression and slapped at the arms encasing her waist.

"I couldn't ask that!" She said, and he nodded, accepting her response. Any person that denied the Queen's beauty would be executed, and Bulma answered wisely as he moved to whisper in her ear, his hands slowly moving to caress her flat tummy as he gently sucked her earlobe in between his lips.

"No, what I found the most beautiful was the Xenoba trees. Their bark was dark emerald, with red sap, as was common. All water on our planet was red. But that was not what was the most beautiful. What I found to truly depicted saerasamour, was its blossom. Azure. With the luscious scent of your favorite, strawberries." He rasped in her ear, then felt her shudder in response as he nibbled on her velvety lobe.

Bulma tilted her head back and blinked, wrapping one hand around his head to stroke through his hair.

"Mmm... they sound very beautiful." She whispered, as his tail uncoiled from her leg and tickled around the back of her thigh. Vegeta breathed a hot breath onto her throat and trailed his tongue down her throat before kissing her collarbone.

"Yes. They were. Just like you." He said huskily, as he was becoming overcome with his desire for her, as that luscious sweet scent began to dapple her skin in tiny beads of pheromone, which he licked up quickly from her chest and decolletage as he moved to get better access. Bulma giggled and laced her fingers in his hair, her legs fluttering in the water as he stood on the more shallow pool surface and she floated.

"Did I remind you of your home, when you first saw me? Is that why you saved me?"

"Yes." He responded gruffly, filling his mouth with her lace covered breast, disregarding the taste of pool water and only tasting her. Bulma moaned softly in response and crushed her breasts around his face, and she shuddered, as he was coyly nipping the flesh then taking large mouthfuls and sucking before digging his nails into the lace in order to tear it off.

"Wait. I want to keep this bra." She said, and he pulled back, startled as she unclipped it and tossed it into the grass so that he could see her breasts. Vegeta gulped as he stared down, and Bulma pushed his head back down. He pressed his face into her soft skin and rumbled, feeling himself growing persistently aroused by her vulgar motions.

"Mm, suck it like before.." She murmured, and he looked up quickly to see her blue eyes filled with lust, and did so, sucking hard on her flesh and squeezing her breasts experimentally in his hands. It was his first time ever touching a woman's breasts, and just this was almost enough to make him expode. Vegeta took a deep breath and tampered his lust, instead focusing on her pleasure as he began to suckle and squeeze her more gently, and stroked his tail between her legs, panting as he felt the same sensations from his tail in his loins.

Bulma raked her hands across his back and felt the divots and hard bulges of muscle, the jagged lines of scars that went horizontally across his back, as she realized with growing concern as she felt them, then he growled into her breast and bucked his hips against her.

"Stop exploring there. Those are old wounds, they no longer hurt." He said gruffly, and flipped her over onto the deck, so that he was half in the water as he slowly lowered her head with his hand beneath it for support. Bulma was quiet, only panting heavily as their eyes met and he blinked hard, then she nodded.

She knew that he would tell her when the time came, right now, his hands were stroking across the border of her black lace panties, then stroking the cleft in the middle where the fabric was wedged. She moaned, arching her back as her wet breasts gleamed under the sunlight and provoked him again to surround her areola with his lips and suck, making her hips grind against his abdomen, writhing with her anticipation.

"Vegeta, stop teasing me! I'm _ready_." She breathed, and his eyes widened on her as he looked up from her chest. Bulma's chest heaved, then she smiled down at him.

"Prince." She whispered, and he purred in response.

"As you wish, Princess.."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Hmm, think that's a good place to leave it? *Snickers*
> 
> We will catch up to Vegeta, Bulma and the other Saiyans and Vulcane the next chapter. I will try and condense the battle scene into that chapter, that's why there was no update on the battle- it will not start til next chapter.
> 
> No worries! :) Oh and pretty please do leave Reviews! I want to hear from anyone who has been reading along this whole time, were you surprised by Launch's transformation? What are your predictions for the upcoming battle? What do you want/expect to happen? Sound off in the reviews!


	26. Liberation at Last

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to thank everyone who has supported my story along the way, I don't thank you all enough! You really help encourage me to write. Also, if you haven't already and would like to, check out my new story A Rose By Any Other Name (LaunchxRaditz) which is based in this Universe, but never made the final cut in Gemini Saga.

The sky swum overhead, darkness clashing with light, the white corona dazzling behind him as Bulma stared up and smiled at Vegeta. His eyes, intense with the power of a thousand burning suns as he leaned down and kissed her. Her heart raced, as he slipped his hands slowly beneath her and pulled her up to him as he stepped out of the water, and heat rushed up around them, drying her with his ki. Bulma clung around his neck, looking apprehensively at her clothes on the ground, then back at him.

"Are you having second thoughts...?" He said huskily into her throat, as she shook her head in refusal, and kissed him to show her need for him.

"Good." He chuckled softly, then looked at her with a smirk, and jumped. Bulma screamed in her sudden surprise, clinging to him desperately as they rocketed through the air, then he landed, and tossed her onto a soft surface. Bulma opened her eyes which had been squeezed shut, and quivered once realizing he had thrown her onto his bed, and now was advancing on her slowly, with a devilish grin.

Vegeta couldn't help but smile at the flustered, heated gaze on the woman's face as he approached her and took her legs by the ankles, sliding his hands up the smooth flesh, before pulling them apart quickly. She gasped, and he snickered, pulling himself closer to observe her heated expressions as he rekindled the fire in her veins with only his gaze, then leaned down and took her mouth with his, giving her a taste of what he was going to do to her with a deviously darting tongue as he pulled his hips closer to her. He cupped one pale buttock and squeezed, feeling her quiver as just that small movement alone made the woman's scent explode with the sweet, luscious scent of her arousal.

He pulled back and licked his lips, the crimson flush beneath his eyes darkening as they gradually wandered down her body, appreciating each inch with his eyes as she panted heavily with her excitement, her chest heaving, making her lily white breasts jostle and tempt him to taste there once again, but they were already swollen and pink from his ravished nips, so he kissed her there, cradling them carefully as he made his way down, just the innocent tickle of his eyelashes on her stomach was enough to make her mind insane with want, burying her hands in his hair and pushing. Vegeta paused to look up at her and she flinched just a fraction of an inch, her mouth parted and her enamoured eyes darkened by dilated pupils as they took in each small action he made.

"I can't..." She breathed, and his heart raced for a moment with the possibility that the woman once again was waning on him, and he growled from the bottom of his chest at her; making her eyes squeeze shut as she turned her face away and hid her blushing cheek in her tousled cerulean locks.

"...can't take anymore, Vegeta... please.." She whimpered pathetically, and he sneered with amusement, licking his lips. He looked back down and smirked, trailing his fingers down to the black lace panties she wore. He tore them away quickly, shredding them to reveal an odd strip of blue curls, and the smoothness around it, his mouth tingling as it salivated from her warm scent as he parted her legs further and buried his face there, groaning into her as he tasted her, dining on her sharp, tangy taste that was erotically heavy with her lust, as her wanton cry rang out from just the motion of his flickering tongue.

Her taste, and the sound of blood pumping to her loins all around his ears was almost too visceral to handle, as he swathed his devilish organ up her pink cleft and watched her body heave in response, her breasts jiggling then stopping as she gripped them and squeezed the bulging flesh attempting to escape her fingers. He pulled back quickly, wiping his mouth with one finger, then looked down and lined himself up to her waiting heat, closing his eyes briefly, then sighing as he thrust into her at once.

"Bulma," He groaned, and grit his teeth as she clenched around him, feeling the warmth of a woman around him for the first time he nearly buckled from the intensity, and as she wrapped her legs around him and moaned, "Vegeta!"

It seemed she couldn't stand to be patient any longer either as she gripped him by the shoulders and jerked her hips up to meet his, and dug divots into his back with her desire. Vegeta laced his tail out from his back and pulled it around her waist, stilling her movements before he couldn't hold back, and held her still as he began to move, lowering his face to kiss her, clutching her arms still to her body to stop her frantic scratching as he gradually increased his pace until they were crashing, the warm ocean around him tumultuous, as Vegeta felt the pain leaving his body, his flush dissipating as he thrust himself into her waves and made her cry out with every stroke, his own body threatening to give as he dove into the shallows and shook, squeezing the soft fleshiness of her voluptuous thighs as he nearly sunk to the floor on his knees from the woman writhing on the bed.

He began to understand her cries, as she mewled, it was almost too much to handle all at once, and he withdrew a moment to regain his control, lying beside her and kissing her fervently. As he tempered his lust for her, his groin still strained for more as she took him by surprise and sat up, gripping him in her hand unabashedly and pumping him with the fluids of her arousal coating him, before moving her mouth to wrap her lips around him. Vegeta's eyes widened and he heard an animalistic keening rise from his chest and he whinged out loud in a baritone cry and tossed his head back into the pillows, panting to catch his breath as the sheer vulgarity of the woman threatened him to come completely undone.

Bulma chuckled softly and felt satisfied by his submission; and moved quickly to get on top of him, using his chest for leverage as she slid easily down his shaft and moaned, her body molded perfectly to his and then some as she took a sharp intake of breath from his almost inhuman size. Vegeta regained his senses, his sensual ebony eyes rolling down to take in the sight of her as she began to roll her hips in a siren's dance across his hips, taking him farther with each quickening stroke as he growled and pushed her down to the very juncture of his hips, which was smooth and inexplicably devoid of any hair, as she shuddered around him.

Vegeta regained control and flipped her around so that she was beneath him; her legs flailing as he thrust her firmly into the bed, forcing her into submission, burrowing his face into her neck and inhaling the luscious scent of ripe strawberries as he made love to her. He kissed her throat, her earlobe and rumbled pleasedly with his pleasure. His eyes opened and flashed crimson as his primal desires made themselves known; he reared back to watch their bodies connecting, feeling his mouth salivate from the erotic sight as his eyes took her in hungrily, he licked his teeth, his jaw subtly chatterring as he silenced the animalistic response to her scent, which now had evolved into something more robust as his own musk began seeping out from his nearing peak.

Bulma's eyes widened and her heart raced as their gaze met and his pierced into her own. She watched him taking her body, trailing her hands down his abdomen as it flexed with each precise, hard plunge back inside of her that make their bodies smack together with vulgarity. Bulma moaned and pulled him down, letting his weight press down into her deeper, angling him until she clenched with each brisk thrust that ground against the sensitive walls of her body and activated an uncontrollable response in her as she encircled him with her legs and arms and nearly screamed, before sinking her teeth into the thick tendon of his throat, salty with his perspiration.

Vegeta's entire body shook as she sunk her teeth in, and he wrapped his arms around her and lost his control, his muscles quivering as he pulled and slammed his weight into her core until he reached new depths that had her crying tears of ecstasy as she felt something no man had given her before, as he buried himself to the hilt and moaned aloud as he quivered with his climax, the heat rushing through her as Bulma joined him and slashed his back with her nails as her legs scrambled for purchase against his frantic thrusts that had her vision going blurry, her mouth hanging open as her body clenched and unwound, then he collapsed atop her, their bodies slick with perspiration as he panted, and kissed her lips.

"Vegeta... I..." She sighed, embracing him as he rested against her, still quivering as he leaked his virile essence into her, kissing her womb with his still firm length before pulling away quickly, lying on his back. Bulma gasped from the cool air surrounding her and sobbed, rolling over to rest her head on his still heaving chest. She couldn't explain why she felt like her entire being was shattered, her mind lost as she sobbed into his skin and took deep breaths of that woodsy, sharp pine musk, laced with sweet caramel intensity that was so strong her mouth watered, the sensitive cilia in her nose pricked and tingled oddly.

Bulma jumped when she felt one warm hand on her back, stroking as she cried to comfort her, she looked up to him in question and he turned his cheek away, a streak of luminous tears trailing down his smooth cheek as he looked away. Bulma swallowed, "I love you... Vegeta." She whispered, and waited for his response.

Bulma sighed shakily and slumped her shoulders when he didn't answer, instead, he had fallen into a deep slumber and as she looked on in wonder, his eyes were moving beneath the lids quickly as if he were already dreaming. She reached out and wiped the tears from his cheek out of curiosity, and licked it. Salty. Just like hers. But, his eyes had been wild as he made love to her, the sounds, something akin to a wolverine or jaguar... It was strange, but oddly comforting knowing he wasn't afraid to let her know he was feeling just as unhinged as she did. Bulma felt his essence seeping out and down her legs in a puddle, then sighed, feeling incredibly lightheaded, and laid next to him, lifting his inert arm and wrapping it around herself as she laid down to rest beside him.

* * *

The ground beneath him shook, as Piccolo looked up at the figure hovering above him, Vulcane laughed at his threats as if he had nothing to fear; turning his back on him and instead focusing on Nappa. He clenched his fists and observed the scene, his senses tingling as his antennae reacted to the sparks of electricity in the air, as the tension radiating from the many power levels surrounding him all clashed, as the Saiyans at last faced off against the last of the Gemini cult.

"You think a puny little Eclipse scares me, old man?" Nappa sneered, a sideways grin across his face as the other laughed in response, raising his arms up in salutation of the celestials.

"The Eclipse is a gift! With it, the power of the sun is stolen from its core and flooded into my veins," He seethed, his citrine irises flickering with light as they seemed brimming with energy, his tongue swiping across his lips as he pulled the Gemini woman to him by her waist. Kannon stepped forward from beside Nappa and growled,

"Tianshae! Vulcane! You can't take this planet's light away, these good people will all suffer if the Eclipse doesn't end!" She cried out in rage, clenching her fists as his eyes turned onto her and he smirked, Kannon was disgusted by the ancient being wearing a snakeskin of a youthful guise.

" 'All good things must come to an end', isn't that what the Earthlings say?" He sneered with a tilt of his head, then raised his fingers once again, and squeezed two index fingers together, and there was a low, gravelling rumble as the planets suddenly came nearer, the light of the sun fading as their increased proximity blocked out the light. Screams rang out for miles as the darkness washed over the earth; the only light being the glow of electricity, and the luminescence of their ki, reflecting off the vast ocean as the depths rumbled and rose, splashing closer onto the beach.

"Ahh, feel that..? That's the tide rushing in at last, each Gemini is bound to the planets, our entire being is in direct influence to the planets, do you understand...? This is why, our bodies become stronger when we can feed off the purest celestial energy available." He explained to the Saiyans, who blinked, unresponsive. It was Kannon who looked up and glared at him, her eyes glowing green with her anger, as she felt the power surging within her as well.

Tianshae clung to Vulcane in fear as she met Kannon's intense glare, and he tossed the woman to his side, instead, lowering down to face Kannon on solid ground. His bare soles met the dusty sand and he stalked forward, his pale flesh grayish in the dimness, his black hair trailing down his exposed chest and curling. Kannon placed one hand on the lever of her blaster and quickly pulled it without hesitation, the recoil jerking her back as the explosive sound cracked through the silence. Vulcane hissed with his wrath and thrust one clawed hand forward, stopping the ball in mid air. It floated; weightless, then rocketed back to the ground at Kannon's feet. She stumbled back, then was caught by Nappa who swept her up in his arms and flew her to safety as the bomb exploded and scattered sand up into the air.

"Thank you," She whispered, breathlessly and clung to him as she heard the audible click of Nappa's teeth grinding together with his anger. He looked down to her and furrowed his brow, and she felt a tingle in her mind as he spoke to her telepathically.

_Let me take care of this, Pinchie. It's not safe. I don't want you on the battlefield **ever again**. _He spoke with intensity into her mind, making her shiver with the weight of his words.

_I want to fight! I hate him! Nappa, please! _She cried out mentally in response, but he shook his head, and turned to set her next to Onioan.

"Onioan. Protect Kannon. Don't let her fight." He said sternly, and the big man nodded eagerly, pulling her close to him and sitting on the sand with a heavy sigh as he pulled Kannon close. She crossed her arms and huffed, as she was encircled by his thick arms like a cage. Vulcane's vile laughter cut through the quiet and soured the taste in her mouth as he eyed her. "That's a girl, Kannon, take your rightful place as nothing but a helpless bitch, protected by a complete moron." He cackled, before being interrupted by Nappa.

"Shut up! You don't know nothing about having a family to protect, all you are is a viper, feeding off the ones you call your companions!" He growled, and clenched his fists as he began to shake with rage. He and the others stepped up to surround Vulcane, Candor and Bdakka to his sides, and Piccolo at his back.

"That's where you're wrong, you simple simian fool, the Gemini cult are all one family, all one with another, besides Kannon. She was the most insolent." He spat back, unintimidated by him.

"I don't care what you say, all I know is it's time to end this!" Nappa roared at him, and barreled towards him like a rampaging tank; his heavy legs digging trenches in the sand as he came up quickly on Vulcane and plowed one fist into his face, the other hitting him in the stomach as the smaller man's body bent and contorted, and he slipped out out Nappa's grip quickly, sliding his katana out from its sheath with a thin sliver of silver glinting in the darkness, that and his eyes, like magma.

"That should have broken your frail little body, freak.. What the hell are you?" Nappa growled, stepping back once as Vulcane lowered his katana and pointed the tip at the ground between them, making an indent in the sand.

"I am immortal." He seethed, looking up and spitting blood out of his teeth, "I can use this body until it withers away, once you've beaten it to a bloody pulp, I'll just regenerate, again and again, until I have no more options. Then, I think I'll take that pretty one there, Candor for a ride." He said with a low breath, his eyes turning onto the Elite at Nappa's side. Candor stepped forward, his crescent cut tail lashing beneath his maroon cape, which he suddenly tore off.

"You'll be dead before you have the chance, Gemini. You don't belong on this planet, none of us do. It's not your place to destroy." Candor growled, his steely gaze cold as the light off the katana hit his armour, reflecting as Vulcane turned to look at him.

"Perhaps it was a mistake, leaving your filthy tail like I did. You seem to be quite overconfident!" He snarled, and leaped up into the air before either Saiyan could blink, and slashed a red line across Candor's thick throat, the heavy black collar that restrained his ki falling off to the ground as he gasped, then felt where his throat was bare now.

"That's right. You're free. What will you do with your freedom?" Vulcane snapped, jumping back as both Saiyans loomed closer yet, their panting breaths heavy around him like a wolf pack, as Vulcane backed up into Piccolo. Piccolo tensed and grabbed the man by the shoulders, grinning down as Vulcane looked back at him quickly.

"Face it, you're trapped." He said, his claws digging into the opposing flesh as he grinned, Piccolo felt his rage boiling within and turning deadly as Vulcane struggled to move from his grip, and Nappa and Candor closed in the distance.

"By _you? _Who are you? Why are you here?" Vulcane sneered, struggling to be free.

"My name is Piccolo. I am joined by Kami, the guardian of this planet. That's why I am here, to stop you from destroying it." He growled lowly, then tossed him to the ground, brushing his hands off of his filth.

"You're a Namek, aren't you? I should have known by that green skin, and those pointy ears. I heard that your people were overrun by a famine, guess maybe there's some left after all." Nappa stated bluntly, scratching his head.

"A Namek? That's what I am?" Piccolo gasped, suddenly freezing.

"Yes, you didn't know...?" Candor said, his slack features becoming curious. Piccolo shook his head, aghast. Kami was just as startled from within, as he too heard.

_It has been over a hundred years now since I have thought of this, but long ago, from the earliest memory I have, I remember waking up in a place called Yunzabit Heights. There, I discovered a strange ship that I assumed must have been the one I arrived in. I waited, for many years for my family to come for me. They never did. And now I know why. I am from Planet Namek._ He whispered, and Piccolo squeezed his eyes shut. Vulcane got to his feet, brushing sand off his kimono as he scoffed.

"How foolish can you be? Namekians are an inferior race. The only thing they're good for is creating Dragon Balls." Vulcane sneered, crossing his arms. Piccolo clenched his fists and growled, tensing.

"You won't get them! Not on my watch!" He snarled, and bristled as the Saiyans looked to one another in wonder.

"Dragon Balls are real...? I thought it was only an old wives' tale." Nappa said, and looked to Bdakka.

"What can _we_ do with the Dragon Balls?" He inquired gruffly, then Nappa shook his head, blocking Bdakka from stepping forth.

"I think you'll have to go through the green man to get them, but from the sounds of it, he's on our side. Is that right, Namek?" Nappa questioned, and Piccolo hesitated, looking around at all the Saiyans nervously.

_They share our cause. Perhaps they mean well. _Kami said, to Piccolo's surprise.

_You're sure?! But they only want to take our dragon balls! _He responded back quickly, sending Kami his anger with it.

_If they do make a wish, what's to say it will be granted? Shenron will not grant a wish beyond his power. If that's what they're looking for, to do evil, then we will do what we have to in order to stop them._

Piccolo nodded back in silent agreement, then grit his teeth as he addressed the Saiyans.

"I am on no-one's side, but for Earth's side. I am here to protect it, and anyone who would do harm to it. So if you want to kill this bastard too, then yeah. As long as you don't plan to blow up this planet in the process." He said back, and heard a chuckle from within.

_What?_ Piccolo snapped to the annoying little voice.

_My, how times have changed. Once you promised to destroy this planet, now you are it's protector. You have learned well, Piccolo. _Kami said with pride, and suddenly Piccolo felt an emptiness in the pit of his stomach as Kami left him quickly, transporting himself back to the lookout in an instant. Piccolo gasped and felt his stomach in a panic, to everyone else's confusion.

"No! Where did he go! Kami!" He said, then looked to the sky. He felt the familiar presence and his heart raced, gasping as Kami spoke to him and comforted him with his words.

_You are no longer corrupted from the cruelty of this world. Piccolo, I trust you. I must stay here at the lookout and do my duty looking after the Earth. I can no longer remain with you. Because you were made from me; if you die I shall die too, and the dragon balls will become inert. We **must** secure them for the good people who need them. You must **protect** the planet. Please._

"Yes! I promise." Piccolo whispered to the air, then looked down back at his opponent, feeling lighter than before, he felt a serenity within him that was meditative, as he strolled forward to stand over Vulcane and glare down at him.

"Are we done conversing with ourselves? Really, how could you possibly protect this planet when you're _clearly_ insane?" The Gemini laughed, and looked up at Piccolo and sneered, focusing his third eye onto Piccolo.

"Hyōketsu." The Gemini muttered, his small pupil turning red as he stared up at Piccolo.

"Freeze!" He hissed, straining his pupil even harder to attempt to freeze Piccolo into ice. Piccolo looked down at his body and lifted one arm, unaffected.

"No!" Vulcane hissed, and backed away, suddenly startled.

"My telepathic torment... It's not working!?" He stuttered, then looked around him in a panic. He looked over to Bdakka and caught the Saiyan's eye, and hissed, _"Hyōketsu!"_

Bdakka instantly became encased in ice, frozen in place. Vulcane chuckled, his confidence returning as he turned back to Nappa.

"Bdakka!" His mate, Rachanā cried, but was held back by Zenaya for her own protection.

"Suppose it was just a whim, my magic is mysterious. If the inner workings of the Celestials do not not wish for me to paralyze that one, I suppose I will not. But in the meantime, I _do_ have all of you to play with." He seethed, and reached one hand out quickly to seize Nappa by the jaw.

"Telepathic torment!" He screamed, and Nappa stiffened in place. His vision grew hazy as he grew lost in the magmatic eyes of his former captor, his muscle, becoming slack as he slumped in place.

_"Nappa!"_ Kannon cried out, and pulled against Onioan's arms to get free. She elbowed him in the gut and managed to free herself, running towards Nappa in a panic. Nappa's eyes looked at her from his peripheral and he groaned, straining to move.

_Stay away. I told you, I'll be ok! I've done this before. _Nappa spoke in her mind, and Kannon choked back a sob and fell backwards, captured by Zenaya and Rachanā. The female saiyans held her back firmly as they attempted to calm her lashing, as Kannon cried out in anger.

"It's ok, we're here." Rachanā soothed, brushing back Kannon's hair with her long nails.

"Vulcane! I'll kill you! I swear, hurt him and you die!" She screamed hoarsely, her eyes flaming with emerald heat as she struggled against the other women.

"Shh, Kannon. He'll be ok. Nappa is the strongest out of all of the Elites." Zenaya said, and rubbed Kannon's back as she slumped, with her knees in the sand.

_Pinchie. I love you. Don't worry. _Nappa said, then looked away, and his eyes rolled back as Vulcane took control over him, and Nappa stood upright, his body in Vulcane's full control, as his mind was lost as well.

_Nappa opened his eyes and blinked wearily, feeling the heavy build-up in the corners of his eyes from the Martian sand. His lungs burned with each breath as he breathed in the stale, foreign air littered with dust particles, and he stepped forward, one heavy boot making the red sand dance around his heels._

_"I'm cold, Nappa. When can we go back to our ships?" The young Prince Vegeta said, from behind his back where he dragged his feet petulantly across the soil._

_"Soon, kid. first, we gotta clear out all these tunnels." He muttered, his lips moving in his sedated state, as he remembered the purge of Mars as if it were yesterday._

_"But, there's **nobody** here! Why did Lord Frieza send us here, Pops?" Raditz said from his side, looking up at him innocently, his black mane dusted with red sand._

_"We have to check Mars for life, I told ya', kid. That's our job. We clean up planets to get them ready to be sold. It's just like that." Nappa answered, clicking the red, square button on his blue scouter for signs of life._

_"How are we_ ** _ 'cleaning'_ ** _ it if we're going to get blood everywhere?" Vegeta sneered back snarkily, and Nappa chuckled._

_"That's the fun part, we can do whatever we want to get rid of em'. Think of it as a game, whoever can kill the most Geminis, wins." Nappa said with a chuckle, as he came upon a small cluster of power levels in the ground beneath them. This excited the boys, and they cheered; wrestling past one another to be the first to kill a Gemini as Nappa started stomping holes in the soil._

_"This is gonna be like shootin' fish in a barrel, kids. Just watch. I'm gonna pulverize em'." Nappa said with a grin, and stomped hard enough to make the frozen ground fall away, revealing the women and children huddled together inside._

_"Who are you?" A woman asked, and Nappa shook his head._

_"I'm your maker. Now close your eyes and try not to squeal, it hurts my ears." He said with a gruff chuckle, and the woman instantly began to scream as he powered up his hand, and blasted them all with a hot blast of ki, instantly cooking them to death, their bodies glowing like hot coals as the light faded, and Nappa lowered his hand._

_"Woah! That was **awesome**! Can you show **us** how to do that!?" Raditz asked, and ran and poked at the still warm bodies, exclaiming with excitement as they fell to __ashes_.

_"Yeah. I'll show you all the tricks I know. Now get outta there, son. Don't get corpse dust on ya." Nappa said with a laugh, and they continued on, slowly eliminating every pocket of people one by one._

Nappa startled from his unconscious state, crying out loud in distress as he watched the events before his eyes, as he instructed Raditz and Vegeta on all the ways to eliminate people as if it were a game. It was the easiest way to do it with the children, if they knew that there were other ways, they wouldn't have been so eager. He used their naivety to convince them it was all in good fun. He'd lost his sympathy a long time ago, and he'd nearly forgotten what it felt like until he was watching those horrible events unfold before his eyes, and he could see the error in his ways.

"Raditz... Vegeta...! I'm sorry! I should have ran away with you! I should have told you the truth a long time ago!" His unconscious voice cried out in a hoarse lament, as the whites of his eyes watered with tears.

"You! You're bad! Make General cry." Onioan suddenly said, standing up from where he had been sitting, unaware. But now the Saiyan understood that what Vulcane was doing hurt Nappa, and he would protect his General at all costs.

"Back Onioan, it's not safe." Candor said, growling sharply as he placed one hand on his wide chest to block him.

"But Candy, he's our friend." Onioan simpered, and Vulcane laughed at them, pulling Nappa out of the illusion quickly, and the big man fell to his knees gasping, his eyes leaking rivers of tears onto the soil.

"Get back, you two. I'll handle this on my own." Nappa coughed, getting to his feet.

"...Showing some stuff from the past ain't gonna hurt me, you can try to break my spirit, but you can't take me down. I've still got my Saiyan Pride. I never lost it."

* * *

_There was a flash of red against the dull, pale, burnt ocher walls of the cavern. Vegeta was easily concealed behind the wall of rock as it passed by him. Hanging his head low in the overhanging cavern; the man chuckled with a rasping hiss; long strands of stringy black hair covering his face. His gait was that of something inhuman; in fact, below his billowing robes his limbs did not seem to move naturally as a human's would at all._

_**No, **his disjointed legs crept and shifted unnervingly beneath the fabric as he watched in silent terror. The proud child was brought to quivering; pressing himself flat to the rock wall. Holding his breath, as it slowly scanned the chamber with its large, glowing third eye._

_Illuminated a blinding white, the eerie light glanced off the dry walls, exposing the_

_bands of glistening ice crystals frozen solid into the earth of the red planet, until it passed and at last was nothing more than a dark shadow in the cool darkness._

_He slunk into the neighboring chamber, keeping his steps soft, Vegeta attempted to sneak quietly away; feeling his movement unexpectedly ceased as his red cape caught on a sharp fragment of ice. He felt hot tears welling in his eyes, wiping them with a bloody fist, he ran forward and the corner of the cape tore off on the icy formation with a dense ripple. He choked out a sharp cry, in fear that he had been captured by the specter, his breath lost in his pounding chest._

_Vegeta was brought back to reality as dirt mottled light spilled in from above, where Nappa punched holes in the powdery soil and extended his arm for him to grasp so that he could take it and be freed from the frightening cave and its inhabitants._

_"All clear, Prince Vegeta?"_

_He nodded, shivering and was hefted up onto the ground, clutching his red cape around him and feeling the torn fabric. He looked back for a moment, down into the crumbling holes, seeing only the pitch black; he could not know for certain if it had still lost his trail. Surely the sounds from the surface would alert it, but would it follow? The rumbling voice of his sworn guard brought him out of his temporary distraction._

_"...If I could advise, you might discard the cape, Prince Vegeta. The vivid color is easy to see, even in the dark.." Nappa said in a halting tone, careful to not incite the tiny spitfire of the royal bloodline. Vegeta backhanded him brutally across his slack jaw, leaving Nappa to stare down at him with his black eyes hardened by a cold, apathy that left him only feeling contempt as his jaw tingled from the resounding crack of flesh on flesh._

_"How **dare** you suggest that I remove my royal armour, Nappa! You couldn't **possibly** comprehend the meaning of such garments. You'd be wise in the future to keep the useless thoughts that may rattle around in that dense brain of yours to yourself. Now, retrieve that rock-headed hedgehog from his burrow so we can **leave** this wretched planet!"_

_The small prince demanded, and Nappa nodded, and they followed the rumble beneath the earth where Raditz was tunneling, blasting away anything and everything. Nappa knelt and punched more holes in the topsoil, that was all he was good for, the big oaf. He was much too large and block-headed to be stealthy enough to creep through the tunnels soundlessly like Vegeta. Raditz was no better; he wasted no time on careful calculation. The elder boy was more or less a battering ram with that thick skull of his. He crawled out of the hole and shook his mane, sending dirt flying; in turn causing Vegeta to shield his eyes and grumble angrily._

_"All clear. Let's go." Raditz said, patting Vegeta on the shoulder pads of his armour. He received a scathing look from the Prince as the younger Saiyan tore himself away._

_"Do not **ever** presume to touch me, third-class, I'd have your filthy hands removed for that!" Raditz lowered his hands and shrugged, then looked to Nappa who eyed him closely. He exchanged a glare that brought on Raditz's well-scripted response._

_"I'm sorry, Prince Vegeta. I should not have been so bold." He said in a monotone voice, lowering his eyes._

_Vegeta disregarded the both of them, walking across the desolate planet, his tattered red cloak fluttering on the dry, deathly cold air._

Vegeta sat up in bed with a start, gasping hoarsely for breath as he awoke from the nightmare; panting raggedly, sweat pouring down his temples and dripping down his chest in rivers.

_So that was what happened, all those long years ago... I was too proud even as a child to face my fear... that creature; could it be? No... The Gemini_ _still lives!_

He thought in a panic, tugging his sweat soaked hair by the roots. Vegeta looked around frantically, seeing that Bulma was gone, he jumped out of bed quickly and saw the soft light of candles spilling from the bathroom door in the dark room, as he walked over and opened the door. Bulma turned her head from where she was relaxing in the tub, one long leg hanging off the side as she noticed him and smiled.

"Hey there, lover boy. Why don't you come join me...?" Bulma said flirtatiously, resting her chin on her crossed arms as she moved over, swinging her pink feet back and forth. Vegeta groaned and stumbled against the door, leaning his weight against it for balance as he struggled to breathe.

"Vegeta...?" Bulma asked, and began to get up from the soapy water, wrapping a towel around herself.

"Holy... you're absolutely covered in sweat, sweetie, let's get you in the tub. I'll fix you up right. Best way to get rid of a fever is to sweat it out! Now, come on." She urged gently, and tugged on his arm.

"No... The Gemini... He was there! I left without telling them, he was _still_ alive but I was too frightened to finish my job!" Vegeta bellowed out, stumbling and falling against her.

"Gemini...? What Gemini? Like in astrology...?" She asked, baffled, as she helped him into the tub. Vegeta sunk down and sighed, agitated as she joined him and began squeezing water over him with a wet cloth.

"No... not that kind, well... Sort of. They call them Gemini's because the females are all twins. They share one body, one mind even though there's two different personalities..." He muttered, rubbing the red rash under his eyes that now had become darker red, with small bubbles.

"Oh! You mean, like Launch?!" She blurted out excitedly, her eyes wide with interest.

"Yes, like Raditz's bit..ahem, female. But the males are different. They have the use of mental control. It's very powerful... I won't lie. I've been victim to it before... It was... unpleasant. But now, I think they're trying to get their revenge on us... The Saiyans." He said, closing his eyes as he enjoyed the feeling of her carefully cleaning him. Bulma paused her scrubbing, startled.

"Wh.. What do you mean, Vegeta...? Why would they be scared of _your_ people?" She asked, wide-eyed. Her thoughts went back to when Vegeta had first arrived, and immediately started destroying East City. She clapped her hand over her mouth, and shuddered into it.

"You- You murdered them, didn't you...?" She said in a low whisper, dropping the cloth she was cleaning him with.

"**Listen**, Woman. Before you get upset. We were _hired_ to do it. It was our _job_. But that's not to say... there wasn't a certain... thrill in it. But I was only a child when it happened. I was taken from my home planet and convinced that I was safe. That I was being _rewarded_ for being so strong." He ground out, gritting his teeth bitterly. Bulma listened, and subtly nodded, though her eyes were wide and ghastly with horror in the soft light of candles.

"But the bitter truth was, the man I believed was my friend; who I put on a high pedestal and admired as a child, was in fact, the slayer of _my_ people. Frieza _destroyed_ my home planet. He took us as his reward, I didn't know it at the time, not until I was older and he started punishing us if we didn't work fast enough, that what I did was **_wrong. _**I was a cold-blooded killer. Hn. I still am. Deep inside, I always will be. Aren't you glad I didn't mark you yet?" He said coldly, turning from her. Bulma looked down at his neck and gasped, at seeing the purple and red mark on his throat that was bulging with irritated veins, where she could clearly see the white outline of her teeth, where she'd only bitten down on to keep herself from screaming.

Bulma's eyebrows twisted upwards in pity and she frowned, reaching her fingertips out to touch the mark.

"What do you mean, like _this_...? Vegeta... I _know_ what you did. I have a good idea from what you demonstrated before. I knew all along getting into this that you were capable of such a thing. And you know what? People kill. You have to sometimes, whether you have to protect the planet, or protect yourself. If you didn't kill those people, what would Frieza have done?" She said, caressing his neck and kissing it as he looked down at the water.

"...Kill **me.** He would have slaughtered us all unmercifully and thrown us in the trash compactor." He said softly, closing his eyes. Her kisses soothed the ache of the mark and he sighed, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"Exactly... It wasn't a choice, Vegeta." She said softly, sliding onto his lap. He looked away, biting the inside of his cheek.

_It was, and it wasn't. If I were truly desperate enough, I could have left. But I would have died either way. I chose to stay because I enjoyed the power. I revelled in the thrill it gave me._

"You can see now that it was wrong, that's all that matters. Besides, you're safe now on Earth. Once Goku comes back, he'll protect us all." She said warmly, and smiled, resting her head against him.

Vegeta lowered his eyes and burrowed his nose in her damp locks, fragrant with the artificial scent of flowers. He couldn't answer her, he just couldn't. Because she was wrong. No place was sacred, not for the Emperor of The Galaxy. There _was_ no place to hide when he owned all the planets, had every army at his beck and call. Nowhere was safe. Except... here. In her arms.

Vegeta pressed a kiss to her hair and pulled back to look at her, as Bulma opened her eyes and sighed airly, her relaxed limbs lacing around his neck. He looked down to her throat and watched the blood pulse ever so slightly in her veins, his eyes travelling down her body for the signal where he should mark her. But, _should_ he? Was he too hasty to make her his, now that the planet was at stake?

He gulped, feeling his mouth still salivated, clearly, the symptoms wouldn't go away until he actually marked her somewhere, but he couldn't just mark her to get rid of an ache or pain, like scratching some type of pathetic little itch. Making her his mate was _more_ than that. It was a bond that could never be broken, unless he died, or she... Then, would the other suffer...? Vegeta gripped Bulma's face in his hands, pressing their foreheads together as he stared deeply into her eyes.

"Bulma. What do you want? What's your truest, most genuine desire...?" He asked in a whisper, stroking her cheeks with his thumbs. "Uh... I don't..." She breathed, biting her bottom lip. "Close your eyes." He said, and closed his own. Bulma complied, closing her eyes. He made his way into her mind, like nothing. It was like cutting through butter as Vegeta felt her thoughts intermingled with his own.

_Vegeta. Love. Bite. Mark. The Planet. My home. Goku. Frieza. My Momma. Daddy. Gemini. Saiyans. Vegeta. Killed. Killed all of them. Launch. Launch's people._

He shifted thought the thought fragments, not finding a fully formed thought as she was too distracted. Then, he looked around and he saw himself. Him on top of her, how she felt inside. All their memories, all the fights, all the tears, the pain. Why were all these thoughts here, about him? He wondered, as he sorted though her memories.

_I want to be a Princess. One day, I'll find a Prince Charming to whisk me away to never-never land._

A childish voice sang, and he burrowed further into her thoughts, amazed.

_Hey, watch where you're going!_

_Are you a boy? Where's your tail?_

He watched Bulma grow up in rapid succession, observed all her memories with awe, astounded by her ingenuity, her bravery... although at times it evaded her.

_Bulma... _Vegeta thought to her, amazed.

_I want to wish for the perfect boyfriend! Oh, Yamcha! We're going to be together forever!_

He cringed, pulling back a small amount as her memories of Yamcha flooded by, there were so many, multitudes of her and him, crying, laughing, screaming... loving.

_I just want to curl up in a ball and **never** wake up! I hate you, Yamcha! **I hate you!**_

He recalled the events with a pained expression, as they shared their first kiss together, that he'd only given her from a conflicted urge to dominate her, to frighten her into submission so that she would comply to his demands...

_I love you, Vegeta... _She said softly, then watched as he fell to sleep. Then, that was the end, he was suctioned back with force as he pulled himself back, shaking his head. Bulma fell onto him, blinking tiredly from the strain of sharing her first mental connection.

"Woah... what _was_ that?" She said, and giggled as if she were drunk, her voice still scratchy from her hoarse moans not an hour before. Vegeta shook his head once more, blinking, then looked down at her as she stroked her fingers down his abdomen and smiled suggestively.

"Mind sharing." He responded, clearing his throat as she lowered her head and giggled. Vegeta clutched the side of the tub and hissed at her with surprise, as her vulgar motions sprung him back to action. He grunted as she got on her knees in the water and lifted her backside, revealing a perfect pink circle there on the pale flesh between the soft dimples in her hips and her round buttocks covered in soapy bubbles. He glared at it, his eyes resolute with the notion that _this _was where he was supposed to bite her. He knew now, but what would he do with this knowledge...?

* * *

"Raditz, my boy, this is our lab. Welcome on in, watch your step." Dr. Briefs said, as he walked through the lab, his hands clasped behind his lab coat as Raditz followed him down the stairs carefully, lowering his head as not to bump it on one of the dangling wires, or step on the electrical cords across the floor.

"So, you say you were a technician back on Planet Frieza...?" He queried with interest, as they strolled through the lab.

"Well, yes. But I only fixed the ships... scouters, blasters, things like that... Nothing like this." He said humbly, as he ran his fingers across Bulma's submarine ship. "Although, _some_ alien technology was _far_ more advanced than this. Perhaps I could help you make these machines slightly more practical." He said, a hint of dubiousness in his voice as he inspected the vehicle. Dr. Briefs cleared his throat, looking to Scratch on his shoulder, then back at the tall Saiyan man.

"Perhaps...So, Bulma tells me you came here in a spaceship? I'm very interested to know about those... We tried to obtain one from the crash site but they were confiscated, unfortunately... I would have loved to take a look at one." Dr. Briefs said, with a sigh as he patted Scratch on the head.

"Oh, I have one at home you can just have. I'm not using it anymore." Raditz said with a shrug, instead walking over to examine some other items. Dr. Briefs clapped him on the back and laughed.

"That's a good trade-off, and perhaps we can do something about this missing armour you'd like to replicate?"

"I can start drawing up the blueprints, if you could do that for me it would be great, Dr. Briefs!" Raditz said with enthusiasm, his hands at the ready to get to work.

"Right-O!" He said, and gave him the O.K. sign, as they walked farther into the depths of the lab.

* * *

"Whoopsie!" Launch squeaked timidly, gasping as flour billowed out around her and Bunny, as she stood in the kitchen, with Bulma's mother attempting to show her how to bake chocolate chip cookies.

"Hold ya' breath, dearie! Then you won't sneeze!" She said, and pinched Launch's nose shut for her. Launch gasped, feeling as if she were about to sneeze, then sighed, feeling relieved as the feeling went away.

"That was a close one, I tell ya! I once sneezed into a _whole pile _of powdered sugar, and I was covered! You wouldn't _believe _what Dr. Briefs did when he got a taste of me!" She giggled, and Launch giggled in turn, "Oh my gosh, don't tell me he _licked_ you everywhere?" She said, her cheeks faintly pink.

"How did you know?!" Bunny exclaimed with surprise, as she cracked eggs into the contents of the mixing bowl Launch was stirring.

"Well, I could tell you, but you have to keep it a secret." Launch said, as she poured chocolate chips in the batter.

"Oh! Mums' the word! I wouldn't tell a soul! You know, Bulma is a real prude! She won't tell me _nothin'! _It's just for a bit of fun, you know, girl talk!" She pouted, her pink lower lip puffed out.

"Hmm, is that so...?" The half-saiyan sweetie intoned suspiciously, as she raised one brow to the sounds she heard in the tub upstairs.

"Thank goodness she's with Vegeta, a man like that would _surely _know how to treat a lady right!" She said with a giggle, as she popped her finger in the batter and licked it. Launch did the same, musing to herself.

"Mhm...I guess, he seems kinda..." She paused, her eyes lifted back up to the ceiling, hearing Bulma screaming Vegeta's name. "What was that?" Bunny said, suddenly jumping in place.

"Don't tell me those randy cats are at it again! Muffy _just_ had kittens!" She huffed, shaking her head.

Launch nodded, "Uhuh, sure sounds like cats to me...I _adore_ kittens! How many animals do you have?"

"Oh, lots! I'll have to show you my zoo later! Do you like dinosaurs?" Bunny said excitedly, as they began plopping blobs of dough onto baking sheets.

"I've never seen one in real life! _Wowiee!_ Will they let you pet them?" She said, ignoring the increasingly loud thumping sounds by whacking the dough off her spoon on the metal pan so Bunny wouldn't hear.

"Yup! And _ride_ them too! It's a blast!"

"Neat!" Launch replied, licking the spoon as she reminisced, wondering what Raditz was up to...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew! Glad to say I'm pretty sure my writer's block is over, sorry for the wait everyone! Also, the dream sequence that Vegeta had is something I wrote awhile ago, then realized it would fit here perfectly. So hope you didn't mind reading it again if you read His Red Cloak already. Alright, well hopefully I'll be updating very soon!


	27. Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Update! I added a scene I previously deleted back in, for those who wanted a little more VegeBul lemon, and info about the "mating ceremony" ;) You can thank Becky L. Sly for that! Also, while I'm here, there's new art of Zenaya on my deviantART for those who are curious to see what she looks like! ( Christa-Elizabeth) Ok, until next time, please give kudos, subscribe, and let me know what you thought!!

_Even in the deepest trench of the ocean, the warm sunlight filtered through the windows, washing the small underwater home in soft, teal light. She hummed as she washed plates and smiled, her curly, blue hair spilling down her back as Kannon moved her hips back and forth slowly to the dreamy tune._

_"Pinchie, did you know that your lips make the sweetest song I've ever heard?" A deep voice rumbled from behind her, as she giggled, and tilted her head back to share a kiss with Nappa as he moved his large hands down, and stroked circles on her growing stomach. He rested his chin on her shoulder and sighed, his short black hair concealing his worrying brows as he kissed her shoulder. Nappa knew that he couldn't stay here forever, but living with Kannon was paradise._

_Life with her was an escape from the terrible existence he'd been trapped in for so long now; that when he'd finally allowed someone else to have a look into his dark past, he felt like been given a punch to the gut with the stunning revelation that what they were doing was terrible, and much more wrong than he had allowed himself to believe for all these years. It was all a horrible nightmare, it had to be. Suddenly, the front door blew open and the couple were surprised, as Raditz and Vegeta fell in, with a gush of water_.

_"Hey, watch it!"_

_"It's not my fault, you tripped over your own fat feet!"_

_"Oh, boys! You got saltwater on the clean floor!" Kannon huffed, her hands on her hips as she eyed the two boys. They looked up, fishes still flapping in their sopping wet manes._

_"I'm sorry, Miss Pinchie." Raditz spoke softly, and looked up at her shyly from behind a curtain of hair and seaweed. She tutted, and began grooming him, picking the bits of leaf and live fish from his mane, as Vegeta stood and shook himself dry like a dog, sending a couple of small fish splattering onto the walls._

_"This is no time to be coddled, idiot! Zarbon is here, and he says he's got the entire Dyjod Trio with him!" He snarled, and they all froze in place. Nappa's life flashed before his eyes in horror, recalling his knowledge of the deadly trio._

_" 'Dee-jode Tree-o' ? Nappa, what's he saying?" Kannon said, holding Raditz to her chest, looking up with her frightened, ruby-rose eyes. Nappa knelt and circled his arms around the both of them, and kissed her, knowing that this may be the last time he ever felt her sweet kiss upon his lips._

_"We'd better get going, Nappa. I'm sure they'll sniff out our trail!" The Prince insisted, and Nappa obliged, standing. He took Raditz's hand, and pulled him from the woman he was clinging to._

_"No, no! Miss Pinchie! Where will Miss Pinchie go?!" Raditz whimpered, kicking to release himself from Nappa's grip. Nappa pulled him free at last and tossed him to the floor beside Vegeta._

_"Go on, and get suited up for battle, boys." He said, and Vegeta ran off to fetch his armour, while Raditz hesitated, gnawing at his nails fretfully._

_"Raditz, I said** go**!" Nappa bellowed, and the boy flew off. Nappa waited until the children were gone, then pulled Kannon to her feet, and looked into her tear-filled eyes._

_"Kannon, I need you to stay inside. Promise me you won't go outside. It's not safe, Pinchie." He said softly, then kissed her brow one last time, and turned away, pulling on his breastplate, before walking out the door with the two children she had grown to care for as her own, gone._

_Kannon sniffled, then mustered up her courage, and pinched her own cheek, turning her long mane golden, her eyes, emerald. She looked around her, then felt around beneath the floorboards, where she kept her cannon blaster hidden for emergencies. She wasn't going to use it if she didn't have to, she only strapped it over her apron, and took off out the back door, abandoning the small home where their love had grown._

He grit his teeth, _What is this all **about**?_ Piccolo couldn't tell what had the large Saiyan brute so distracted that he stared off at nothing, he and the blonde woman were in some sort of trance, where they mumbled to themselves as if lost in a dream. Vulcane had to only hold his hands out, casting the spell. He looked around at the other Saiyans, and saw they too looked on in wonder, did they not know either?

_**Why** does Vulcane want them to relive these pointless memories? Does he get some sort of sick satisfaction out of it, what's the **point**?!_

Piccolo crossed his arms, a silent observer, and closed his eyes to try and see into the same spell. He let everything fall away from him, cancelling out all sound, feeling, sight. By ignoring everything but what he was specifically concentrating on, Piccolo could use his mental power to penetrate practically anything; he realized. Darkness fell, the barriers of his mind opening, as he reached one tendril out, and went for Nappa's mind, he was the perfect subject, Piccolo figured, as Vulcane already had the poor Saiyan enslaved by his telepathic torment.

Piccolo watched as a picture slowly came into view, and put himself in the Elite's shoes as the show began to play out around them. Nappa walked out of the small house, and towards a sandy dune, with the small Saiyan children trailing behind him. Vegeta went towards where he'd seen Zarbon, ready to battle, but Nappa pulled him back by his fluttering red cape, which was in tatters, and hid the child behind his leg. There was a soft chuckle, as a tall, pastel green-skinned man stepped forth.

"Elite Commander Zarbon," He said respectfully, and got down on one knee, bowing. Zarbon made a soft musing sound, and crossed his arms.

"Get up. Don't worry about formalities, Nappa... I'm not quite sure you'll still have a position in the Frieza Force if you cannot comply to one simple command." He said lightly, sniffing. The reptilian didn't require an oxygen mask, nor did Nappa, as it had been Kannon's gift with her power of alteration to give the Saiyans all the ability to breathe underwater, to make subterranean life easier.

"I-I uh, I can explain for the delay... You see, after the purge of Mars, we came here, but we found out that the inhabitants here are non-violent, I'm sure if we needed to take any materials, they would gladly cooperate with us to-" He started, but was cut off by the sudden laughter of the slender man, who was nearly equal in height with him.

"_Oh,_ Nappa, since when have _you_ ever cared about making peaceful negotiations?" He responded with a chuckle, and turned his back on Nappa, his periwinkle blue cloak fluttering on the waves as he swam up to the surface. The others followed, until they came out of the deep sea trench, and onto land.

It felt strange for Nappa to walk on land without the added weight of the water like he had become accustomed to, as they followed Zarbon. Eventually, they came to a stop, which for the most part was safe from the magma pools all around, and the constantly shifting exterior of Planet Neptune's unstable crust.

The wind whipped something fearsome as they stood in wait, Zarbon's cloak cracking out like a whip behind his back. At the same time, an electrical storm thundered overhead, and lightning flashed, making the two boys run behind Nappa's legs in fear. He held them both as a dark figure approached, and two hulking shadows behind it, silhouetted by the dark, rolling storm clouds, lit up from within with unearthly red lightning bolts.

"Lovely weather we're having, wouldn't you agree? Hardly seems like a good vacation home, General." A gruff voice rumbled, from over the thunder.

"Captain Pricota Dyjod... It's an honor.." Nappa said, and stepped forth. The Captain eyed Nappa with his blue scouter, his strange skin shiny like liquid obsidian, as he narrowed his fleshy, pink eyes. He then raised one clawed hand, and backhanded Nappa on the side of the skull so hard that his scouter shattered, leaving bleeding pin pricks around his eye and ear where the device had stabbed him as it was smashed. Captain Dyjod crossed his arms, his long, vibrant hair falling down his broad back like a blue flame, that started from a deep widow's peak on his brow, between two long, curled horns.

"Idiot. You've given the Frieza Force a bad name with your dishonor, how _difficult_ could it be to purge a level 3 planet? We shouldn't have been assigned here, but for your sakes, Lord Frieza has commanded our presence." The offworld alien said, as Nappa wiped blood off his temple with a grimace.

"What if I told you I don't _need_ your help?" Nappa spat, furrowing his brow. Captain Dyjod laughed, tossing his head back and showing the interior of his purple mouth, and the long fangs inside as he laughed heartily, his thick blue beard bristling. He then lowered his chin, and blinked at Nappa with a clearly amused expression.

"We're not offering to help, we're saying if you _don't_ begin purging these lowly geminis, you'll have **us** to answer to. Now, I want to see how tough you've made those little monkey runts. Lord Frieza's very curious about how their desensitization training is going."

Nappa flinched, holding Raditz and Vegeta back.

"The boys _have_ been desensitized. But I just _can't_ agree to this! Tell Lord Frieza that this planet _has_ no value, fire me, I don't fucking care, just leave it **be**!" Nappa growled, freezing in place as Zarbon turned back, tapping one long finger on his scouter.

"You've just told him yourself. New orders from Lord Frieza. Nappa, you've just been dishonorably discharged." He sneered sarcastically, and pointed one finger, and fired a thin, yet powerful beam right past Nappa's head. He chuckled, as Nappa quickly dodged the deadly beam with shock evident in his features.

"You have** one** last chance. Purge this planet, every single inhabitant on it, or face the entire Dyjod Trio." Zarbon said coolly, and waved the others forth.

Captain Dyjod growled, cracking his knuckles as his two other subordinates approached. Kwisei had a slimy green bio-helmet, making him visibly a member of the demon Slug-Jin, and the other; Roangue was an orange-skinned alien, with red eyes, and gills on the sides of his grinning, sharply fanged mouth. Nappa looked back and forth at them all, and growled, clenching his fists.

"I won't do it, I'll _die_ protecting this planet!" He bellowed, then charged at Captain Dyjod, and the two locked hands, struggling to overpower one another. The offworld was much larger, and stronger than Nappa, as he pushed Nappa back, crushing the Saiyan's hands in his fists.

"You're a fool, you'll die here, you should have _never_ challenged the Dyjod Trio." He growled, and Nappa screamed as the man kneed him in the gut, lifting his body into the air with his thick, muscular thigh covered in shiny obsidian skin.

The offworld was the same race as Banan, or Napple, but unlike his blue and orange skinned, red haired relatives, his distinct coloring represented his much greater power given to him at birth.

Nappa spit up blood, hacking. He turned back to Raditz and Vegeta, and screamed.

"Get out of here boys, go! I'll take them all myself!" The two boys froze in place, wide-eyed as the Dyjods began to approach them, the large aliens casting great shadows with their immense height over the small children.

Piccolo pulled out of the spell quickly, his eyes widening as a torrent of power rushed out around Vulcane, and ensnared the others. Candor, Onioan and Bdakka became entranced just like the others, then, to his amazement, Nappa and Onioan faced off against one another, and began fighting. Piccolo watched back and forth; stunned as they fought one another aggressively. He racked his mind for a way to stop the fighting, before the Saiyans tore one another apart.

_Those stubborn saiyans won't stop fighting until they're all dead! How do I stop the spell?_

The most logical way was to just attack Vulcane from behind, and break his concentration, Piccolo resolved. He stepped forth, watching as Vulcane orchestrated the battle with two hands as if he were the conductor of an orchestra.

Piccolo took his stance, and began to charge up his Special Beam Cannon.

* * *

He tugged on his leather jacket, as Yamcha looked at himself in the mirror, and pulled the zipper up, smirking as he admired his own reflection, rubbing his jaw with one hand.

_I definitely need to shave, and maybe have my split ends trimmed before seeing Bulma. I can't face her looking like this!_

Yamcha pulled his brush through his hair a few more times, to make his curly black hair shiny, then put it back in the front pocket and patted it.

_Yup, from here on out, I'm a new man! No more Fancy, no more booze! I've gotta get back in shape! _He thought with a smile, his fake tooth in the front gleaming as he turned around and exited the small hospital bathroom.

"All set to go?" Master Roshi asked, putting on his fedora, and his blazer.

"Yup! Say, can I crash at your place a few days? I wanna avoid any possiblity of seeing Fancy. I'm going to call and have the locks on my apartment changed." He said, as Puar flew up and landed on his shoulder, dejected.

"Sure! I'm sure Launch won't mind, but you may have to take it up with Raditz!" He said, and Yamcha shrugged, putting his hands behind his head as they strolled down the hallway.

"I'm not worried about him! I've been around longer, Launch knows me!" He said, smiling as he thought of the vivacious blonde; who was also fun to flirt with as long as Tien wasn't around, and she wasn't locked and loaded. Master Roshi laughed nervously, and kept up his slow pace down the corridor, where at the end they saw Oolong and Turtle waving.

"Hey! How's it hangin, Yammy?" Oolong said as he ran up, shadow boxing with Yamcha's leg. Yamcha put his hands out and let Oolong punch him, and the little pig grunted with surprise.

"You gotta get in the gym! I can take ya, here and now_ let's tussle!"_ Oolong snorted, then Puar spoke up, and attacked his green cap, clawing at him.

"Leave Yamcha alone! We just got out of the hospital, he still needs time to recuperate!" The cat yowled, and they rolled into a cloud of flying fists and tails, just like old times. Yamcha laughed, tossing his head back, then wiping a small tear from his eye. But, as he looked around the waiting room, he felt a small twinge of pain in his heart; knowing that Bulma wasn't there, and that she didn't care what happened to him after what he'd done. He frowned, hanging his head as Master Roshi gave the woman at the the desk his permission slip to leave, before attempting to chat her up.

He sighed, looking away, and saw a gift shop over towards the entrance, where people liked to buy little trinkets, like teddy bears, flowers, chocolates, things like that for people recovering in the hospital. He stared in the window, his hands thrust in his pockets, until he noticed a white figure moving through the glass, and felt his heart race. Miyuki walked up to the check out, and began paying for whatever it was she was buying.

He looked away, attempting to ignore the fluttering feelings in his stomach, and pulled Master Roshi away from the glass he had his face pressed against, peeking in on the frightened secretaries inside.

"Come on, no more flirting! I've gotta go, I just wanna get out of this place!" Yamcha said, pulling the old man away by his collar.

"You're no fun! You don't even wanna get a sneak up a skirt, or catch a feel, all you care about is Bulma, well guess what! She don't want'cha!" The old man groused, but Yamcha ignored him, on a beeline for the door. He heard an odd sound, and paused, turning his head. Miyuki was suddenly right there, like a cat, she was incredibly stealthy.

"Hi, Yamucha." She said in a small voice, clutching a brown paper bag to her chest.

"Oh, h-h-hi, Miyuki..." He stuttered, backing away a pace. "Miyuuuuki!" Puar cried, coming flying from where he was wrestling with Oolong, and clinging to her, nuzzling his face against her, purring.

"Well, I'd better get going home, it was nice and all staying here, but I've got training to do." Yamcha managed to say, and attempted to grab Puar's tail in order to pull him off.

_"W-Wait!" _She cried out, and held Puar close to her. "I have something for him, if you don't mind." She said softly, and Yamcha relented, letting go of his tail.

"Oh, I guess that's alright." He said with a small smile, and watched as she opened the bag, and pulled out a tiny red collar, with a bell. "So you don't ever lose him! I noticed he doesn't have a collar, so I got him one." She said shyly, and Puar looked at the collar, and cheered happily, hugging Miyuki around the neck.

"Thank you, Miss Miyuki! I'll wear it everyday, I promise!" He said, and she giggled, as she put it on him.

"There you go, red is your color!" She said sweetly, then blushed and looked back at Yamcha.

"Well, thanks alot for the collar! We'd better get going, uhh, hehe!" Yamcha said, but was stopped once again.

"Y-Yamucha? Can I ask you a favor..?" She asked, looking up at him through her auburn eyelashes.

"Oh.. uh, yeah what did you need?" He said, gulping. Miyuki opened the bag, and pulled out another red collar, this one much larger, with a red bow, and the same jingling bell.

"I also... got myself a matching collar. So, if you ever need to find me... you'll know where I am." She said softly, and gave it to him, then turned around.

"Will you... put it on me?" She whispered, and Yamcha nodded quickly, looking at the collar in his hands, then her neck, and his reflection in the glass window before him. He felt an odd sense of deja vu, as he moved her soft curls aside, and looked at her pale neck that was presented to him. He wrapped it around her neck, then pushed the flap through the buckle, and pulled it snug. "There, that's not too tight, right?" He said, and she nodded, slipping two fingers under the band.

"This is good. I want to make sure it stays on. I won't take it off unless I have to." She said, bowing her head as he latched it, then rested his hands on her shoulders lightly without even realizing what he was doing, and looked at their reflection in the window.

"Will you always wear it...?" He asked, and she nodded. "Of course." He felt her tail touch his leg just barely, then backed away, straightening himself up as she turned around quickly.

"Well.. It was nice to meet you, Yamucha. You, and all your friends. I'll really miss you and Puar." She said kindly, blinking her large blue eyes.

"Yeah, I've got to get back to normal, you know? I really liked my stay here too, it was nice... like a home away from home, or well, uh, you know? Somethin' like that." He stuttered, his face reddening as Miyuki reached and played with the bell on her neck, batting it, then pausing to look at him a last time.

"That's so you know how it sounds, hehe." She said with a giggle, and Puar latched back onto her for a goodbye hug, and a kiss on the head. She ruffled his long ears, then handed him back to Yamcha, and they hesitated just a moment, before he took Puar and turned around quickly, waving.

"Bye, Miyuki! Well, I'll see ya!" He called, and Miyuki waved, "Bye Yamucha! Bye Puar, and Master Roshi, Bye Oolong and Turtle! I'll miss you all!" She said enthusiastically, running to the revolving door and waving them off. She waved until they were out of sight, then sighed, curling her hand to her chest.

"Goodbye." She said softly, then turned back, and returned to the hospital.

* * *

There was a hush in the commotion that had become common for the small green planet, as King Kai suddenly gasped, startled by what he had seen on earth. Tien stumbled, and plowed over Bubbles as King Kai gasped, the monkey chattering with frustration as Tien wrapped his arms around him.

"I got him!" He said enthusiastically, then stood, helping the monkey to his feet. Tien nearly fell again when Bubbles shot out from between his legs, and collided right with Goku. Not a second later, he found himself walloped by Goku, who landed on him with a belly flop.

"Did I get em'?"

"Ooo ah ah!" Bubbles complained, wiggling to try and get out from beneath him.

"Hey, King Kai! We got him!" Tien yelled, and Goku got to his feet, laughing as Bubbles ran around to his shoulder and sat there a moment, hiding from Krillin and Chiaotzu, who were still trying to catch up.

"Oh, good! Ju-Just a second, boys!" The blue alien yelled back, before returning his attention to the happenings on earth, with two twitching antennas.

"Hmm, this is very interesting... It seems that this mysterious Gemini has trapped all of the Saiyans in some type of spell... I sure hope Piccolo can stop him.." He muttered, catching Goku and Tien's attention.

"Huh? Saiyans? How many are there?"

"Well, counting you, yourself Goku... there are 8. Quite a formidable number, but I have a feeling that strength alone will not be enough. Just this one Gemini has an immense power.. "

"No, don't tell me... Vulcane is there?" Tien said, a look of dread coming over his features. Chiaotzu and Krillin joined them, curious about the conversation. King Kai hesitated to answer, then nodded.

Tien clenched his fist, gritting his teeth.

"Let me see him, he's my father! I should be the one to kill him!" He growled, storming forward.

"Wait! Tien!" Chiaotzu cried, hanging onto his leg.

King Kai turned quickly, cutting off his connection. "Tien, I cannot let you be involved with this. You must complete your training."

"But- why?!" He argued, and King Kai only shook his head.

"Tien, perhaps your memory has failed you, but you were defeated by Raditz on Earth. He's become twice as strong since fighting you, and these Saiyans fighting Vulcane are just as well. You were not in control of your mental power. Someone like perhaps... Piccolo would be more suited to train you in this art, or even Goku...? But first, you must master the challenges I present you with. Got it?" King Kai said, and Tien's shoulders slumped a small amount, being reminded of his own failure.

"Oh... I suppose you're right. Well, I won't let that stop me! I'll train as hard as I can, mentally, and physically!" He said with gusto, pumping one first into the air.

"That's the spirit, Tien! I can help you too!" Chiaotzu cheered, and Tien picked up Chiaotzu and swung him around happily.

"Yeah, say Goku, when did you learn mental control?" Krillin pondered, tilting his head up at him, watching as Goku sat and let Bubbles groom his hair.

"Oh, I learned how to meditate and control things with my mind a long time ago when I went to Kami's Lookout as a kid. It was really boring! But if you guys want to learn about it, I suppose I could show you a thing or two. Maybe if we can get wished back, I can ask Kami if you guys can go train there!"

"Sounds like a deal, Goku. Now, not to be a pain, but could you take that monkey off your back?" Krillin said uneasily, and Bubbles jumped, and hooted at him warily. Goku looked up at the monkey, then back down.

"Oh, I suppose. Guess he's your beast of burden, now!" Goku chuckled, and King Kai's antennae pricked as he heard the exchange of phrases.

Krillin put his hands on his hips and sighed as he watched Goku and the monkey. Bubbles had begun licking Goku's hair, making him giggle uncontrollably.

"Oh, come on guys! That's enough monkey business!" Krillin said, exasperated, and Goku pouted, while Bubbles paused with a mouthful of black hair between his lips.

"M-Monkey business!? Hehe!" King Kai chuckled, then sputtered, laughing uncontrollably.

The others looked on, puzzled, and Tien looked down to Chiaotzu and shrugged.

"I'm no comedian, but I'll be a monkey's uncle! He's really taken a liking to you, Goku!" Tien said, with surprise, unsuspecting of the torrent of laughter that was about to erupt from King Kai.

"Oh, that's _rich!_ A monkey's uncle! Hehe!" King Kai squealed with laughter, and fell down laughing again, rolling across the grass as the others watched, their eyebrows raised. Krillin smirked, then cupped a hand over his mouth and whispered to the others.

"This guy's more crazy than a barrel of monkeys..."

"You're **_killing_** me! _STOP!_ Hehehe!" King Kai laughed, tears bursting from his eyes, barely able to breathe. Chiaotzu looked up to Tien, and the two exchanged another shrug, then Bubbles hopped off of Goku and began running towards King Kai to check on him, only to have Krillin and Chiaotzu give chase, running right over King Kai's stomach, knocking the wind out of him, then jumping off.

Goku blinked, and Tien sighed, plopping down on the grass beside him.

"I have a feeling we're gonna be here awhile!" He groaned, and Goku only grinned back at him, "Oh well! It's kinda like a vacation, while I miss Earth and all, King Kai's cooking ain't so bad!"

"I suppose that's true... Good thing Chi-Chi can't hear you, she'd rip you a new one." Tien teased, then tensed again at a new wave of laughter.

"Ohohoho! My sides are gonna split!"

* * *

After they'd finished their 'bath' Bulma had become suddenly apprehensive, feeling worried that her mother would hear all the commotion downstairs in the kitchen, from where they were overhead. Vegeta grumbled, as he dug through the woman's messy dresser, looking for some suitable clothing for her to wear _'as to not look suspicious', _in the case she went downstairs in between their love making for a snack.

Vegeta shook his head, _Ridiculous, to think she's hungry right now, of **all times!** **I'll** give her something to make her be quiet, oh...? _He paused, holding up a pink garment, that said 'BULMA' in large letters. He smirked, thinking about how short and tantalizing it would be on her curvy body. He then grabbed a pair of underwear, and black leggings, and left the room as quickly as possible to avoid being seen. He was stark naked, but that didn't matter, he was so quick there was no way he would be seen as he darted back into the bedroom, the clothes in hand.

"Oh, thank god!" Bulma sighed, relieved. She stood from where she sat on the bed, in nothing but a towel, and dropped it, revealing herself to him without shame as she took the garments and inspected them.

"Vegeta! I haven't worn this since I was _15!_ I don't even know if it will fit around my boobs! They're _way_ too big." She sighed, weighing her breast with one hand, as if it were some type of fruit. Vegeta licked his lips, and rumbled from deep within his chest. Bulma's head perked up, startled by the lustful sound. The shirt slowly dropped from her fingers, as he came close and embraced her.

"Woman, shut up, your breasts are perfect." He growled, and nibbled her neck, squeezing one breast, and dipping the other hand down low, teasing her.

"Besides, I'm not done with you yet..." He purred, stroking the pink mating mark on her lower back in circular motions, making her sigh from the sensation. He hadn't marked her yet, he wanted this to last, Bulma had to know just how badly he wanted her before he marked her, the erogenous nerves in the mark would only become more sensitive the longer he drew out the mating ceremony; and he wanted to _ensure_ that she **never** lacked for pleasure.

Bulma tilted her head back and moaned, giving into his touch, she closed her eyes and let her body mold back to his as he manipulated her tender folds with skill. She found out he was a quick learner, and _very_ eager to please. He carried her to the bed, and placed her there, sliding in between her legs to kiss her sweet, pouty lips.

"Oh, Vegeta.." She sighed, wrapping her arms around his back. Bulma closed her eyes and moaned as he pulled her hips to his, and sunk back down into her, wrapping her legs around himself with both hands and shoving her down passionately, making Bulma yelp.

"That's right, say my name again..." He whispered, as he moved against her, and moved to squeeze both of her generous assets in his hands, to suck both pink rosy buds between his teeth as he bucked his hips against her, his tail curling and lashing around in the air.

_"Vegeta!" _She moaned, and he purred, licking her nipples to tease them out of hiding. He closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around her, sighing into her soft chest as he made love to her.

_"Bulma,"_

* * *

The sound of birds chirping seemed so far away, and yet... so close, as the boy lying at the base of Mt. Paozu rested, knocked unconscious from falling down the steep mountain top, twisting his neck. The injury wasn't enough to kill him, but as his dark eyes stared up, lifeless at the Eclipse shining into his deadened pupils, he realised with faint dread, that he was in fact; unconscious, and the things he were seeing, when his mother found him and woke him up, were only a dream. So, he closed his eyes and returned to that place, enjoying the dream land until he was sure he would slowly die.

"Gohan..? Sweetie, where did you go?" Chi-Chi called, waving one arm around, smiling happily as she held a frying pan over the fire.

"Coming mom!" He replied, and finished up his business in the bushes, tying up his gi. It felt so real here, he could eat, drink, take a pee... Maybe that other world really _was_ just a horrible nightmare?

"I made some mushrooms, just how you like! Pan fried!" She said, and dished them out onto a leaf to cool. Gohan ran over and took the leaf, sitting beside her as she raked her nails through his hair. He smiled, and began eating as Chi-Chi fretted over the tangles in his hair.

"Oh, you need a hair cut, Gohan! Living out in the desert is terrible for your hair!" She said, and he laughed, tossing a mushroom into his mouth.

"That's ok, mom! I have to get back to training after, Mr. Piccolo might be wondering where I am..."

"Oh, no you don't! You're not going back with that, that monster! He's a terrible brute, did you know he once tried to take ove-" "MOM! It's _okay! _Mr. Piccolo is a good person! He's just a little rough around the edges, that's all!" Gohan said, and patted her on the arm reassuringly. Chi-Chi looked confused, her baby boy was talking, and acting so mature... Where had all the time gone?

"Thanks for the food, mom! That was great! I haven't had your cooking in a long time!" He said happily, and Chi-Chi at last smiled, pulling her portion onto her lap, and picking at it.

"Well, I've had to survive on some meager means myself, after you were kidnapped, and your father... was gone, I left to go find the dragon balls! See?" She said, and gestured to the pouch at her side where she had two dragon balls.

"...Two?" Gohan murmured, his finger to his lip. "Yes, I have the four star ball from your hat, and the one from Master Korin." She said sweetly, patting his head.

"But mom, don't you remember, dad had two more at home!" He said, and Chi-Chi stiffened, her eyes widening.

"..._What?! You mean-" _She stuttered, dumbfounded.

"Yeah, dad kept them safe in the fruit basket on the table, because nobody would notice them, what with the oranges on top." Gohan said simply, and tipped the leaf back to catch the last of them, and licked it. Chi-Chi sat silently a moment then, suddenly jumped up with excitement.

"So that means we have four! We have _four_ dragon balls, Gohan! We only need _three_ more!" She said happily, and danced in place. Gohan smiled, then frowned a little. "Yeah, sure!" He said, unsure how to say what he really wanted to, he just couldn't break it to his mother that he couldn't go with her to find them, he had to go find Piccolo and finish his training...

Chi-Chi got herself together, and brushed off her pink pants, before gathering up all her cooking tools into a pack, and taking out the dragon radar.

"Next ball, is due west! Let's go, honey!" She said, and took his small hand in hers, walking down the false Mt. Paozu, and into the dark forest. Gohan looked behind himself once, frowning, then looked back, not noticing the brown tail moving behind his back.

* * *

The sweet scent of fresh baked goods wafted down in the lab as Dr. Briefs and Raditz were finishing the designs on his armour, from where the two sat hunched over a desk. Raditz held his arm out over the table as the small human man took a tiny scraper tool, and shaved off just the tiniest bit of material from his arm bracer. The tiny black fragments fell into a petri dish, which Dr. Briefs quickly took, and screwed a lid on to keep it from being contaminated.

"Are you sure that's all you need? Just a shaving?" Raditz pondered, his brows furrowed as the eccentric little scientist laughed, patting him on the shoulder as the ashes from his always burning cigarette stuck between his lips smoldered and fell onto the table.

"This will be more than enough, Raditz my boy. I'll apply the growth agent, and we should have enough material to make a few sets of armour. With the detailed blueprint you've made, and the sample, it should only take me a few days to have it ready for you."

"Oh, goodie! You're going to get your armour back, Raditz?" Launch said from behind him, as she walked over and set a plate of chocolate chip cookies between the both of them. Bunny followed, with glasses of milk for the two men, as she placed her hands on her cheeks and giggled, happy that her husband had made a new friend who was content to spend hours away in the lab with him. She sometimes worried that her husband was getting a bit loopy with age, having no-one but his cat to converse with while down in the lab for hours. Raditz took a cookie and bit it, moving to put Launch on his lap to show her the designs.

"See, this is what it'll look like." He said, and her violet eyes widened, then she hugged around his neck happily.

_"That's wonderful!"_ She said cheerfully.

Dr. Briefs chuckled, and untentionally blew a cloud of smoke at the girl's face. Launch twitched her nose, her eyes watering, then sneezed, blinking a few times as she transformed.

"Oh!" She exclaimed, looking around herself. "_Mmm,_ cookies!" She said, and grabbed one for herself.

"I'm glad you're here, Launch. I have a surprise for you." Raditz said, placing his hands on her shoulders with a smile.

"Wha.. what is it?"

"Well, seeing as I kind of destroyed your old one... I intend to replace it." He said, and pointed to a blueprint that Dr. Briefs had drawn up. The blueprint had a drawing of a motorcycle just like her old S-Cargo that had been crushed, but with visible modifications, and a larger seat for her and Raditz to share. There was a mounted gun, and surrounding the designs, were plans for multiple ki-charged guns that would suit her preferences.

"Aww, Raditz! You suck-up!" She cried, jumping up from his lap, and kissing him, hugging him tightly and squeezing.

"I **love** it!" She said, visibly excited by the designs.

"And don't worry, no matter how far along you get, the accompanying armour will always protect our child. It will stretch to fit." Raditz said, rubbing her back, and she blushed, nodding with her approval.

"Yeah, but where are we goin'? Why would I need all that stuff? Not that I don't like it." She said curiously, and Raditz only sighed, stroking her tail that was curled into a question mark with her curiosity.

"Well, you never know... And besides, I know how my girl is. I just know that you'll want to fight by my side, if it ever comes to pass." He said, and she nodded, kissing him again.

"Of course! I wouldn't take nobody's shit sittin' down!" She shouted, then her stomach rumbled with her outburst, after having double-dipped her cookie in Raditz's milk one too many times.

"Ugh... I think I'm gonna be sick again." She said, and held her stomach. Raditz frowned, "Isn't there anything we can do about this...? Maybe Vegeta was right. Maybe we can have a birth pod built for you after all, that's how I was born." He mused, stroking her stomach to try and soothe her.

Bunny put one hand to her mouth, concerned as the girl's face practically turned green._ Oh dear, she's just like how I was with Bulma!_

"_No way!_ This is **my** baby! I ain't havin' no _bubble_ baby! Just cause I feel a lil' pukey, doesn't mean I can't take it!" She huffed, crossing her arms stubbornly over her chest. Her anger made her ki slightly flare, and Raditz chuckled, patting her on the back reassuringly.

"Alright, fine. They say the strongest warriors were carried by fighting women. My mother wasn't much for fighting, she preferred to be in the kitchen. But you've got a little of her on both sides." Raditz said warmly, with a melancholy gaze in his dark eyes that sparkled with his admiration for his mate. Launch's eyes watered, as she quickly went from angry, to weepy in a second.

"Aaaaww... Raditz, you, you **_sweet man!"_** She sobbed, then buried her face in his chest and wailed dramatically. He raised his brows and looked to Dr. Briefs, puzzled. The old man simply smiled, and looked over to Bunny with a sentimental gaze.

"No need to worry. I think I just may be able to dig up the formula for Panchy's old _'Anti-Whack-O' _pregnancy aids." He said quickly, winking at Raditz, who stiffened a small amount at hearing the name.

"Excuse me?! What did you just say, old man?! Get me that gun, I'll shoot im'! " A suddenly furious Launch growled, and he waved his hands around nervously.

_"Great scott!_ I said '_Anti-**Sapp**-O',_ to make you stop crying!" He said, with an exasperated sigh, and stood, pacing around the lab, anxious to get to work.

"Oh... 'Anti-Sapp-O'...? I guess that's alright! Yeah, make sure they're _extra_ strong! I ain't gonna be a blabbin' mess just cuz I got knocked up!" She said, and Raditz eased her off his lap, kissing her on the head.

"Thank you for the cookies, dear. We better get to work. I still have other things to finish. I'm almost done getting my scouter upgraded, then I'm making one for you, so we can communicate no matter how far away we get." He said, and began to turn away, before jumping again as she latched her arms around him and squeezed.

"Aww, Raditz!" She squealed, and he pinched the bridge of his nose between two fingers, sighing. He attempted to walk to his project, determined to get to work, despite the hormonal female clinging to him.

"Oh, um, Launchie, why don't we go see the dinosaurs now, dear? You can do target practice on their hides, they're bullet proof! It'll probably just scratch their backs. I'll get ya a ginger ale to settle your stomach, and then we can go." Bunny said wisely, and Launch slowly released Raditz from her death grip.

"Uh, okay! Should be fun! See ya later, handsome!" She yelled, and waved goodbye to Raditz as he sat down in a chair, sighing.

"I think I may have to put in a mute button on my scouter for the future, Dr. Briefs. As much as I love that girl, she hurts my ears." He said lowly, and Dr. Briefs nodded in agreement, and whispered, "Ear plugs, sonny. That's how I got through my marriage without a fight!"

* * *

The air was hot with the dense tension radiating between them, as Nappa was tossed onto his back by Onioan, who in his blind rage believed himself to be Captain Dyjod.

"Just face it, saiyans are weak! Why do you think you all died?" He sneered in a gruff voice, much unlike his own, as the towering Saiyan, who was nearly as burly as he was broad, held out two hands and blasted Nappa with a hot rush of ki. Nappa tossed back and forth on the ground, screaming as he felt the heat, both physically, and mentally, as he relived the terrible memory, of the day he purged Planet Neptune. Nappa blinked, and shook his head, before propelling off the ground, and rushing after Onioan with a determined gaze in his eyes. The two met, and exchanged a rapid flurry of blows, that hit so hard the sound of flesh thudding was so discernable, it made Piccolo flinch just slightly as he held his charge on the Special Beam Cannon.

_It's not ready just yet, just a little longer, please... Don't kill one another before I can stop this! _He thought, looking away from the terrible fight, and towards the figure hovering above, blocking out any light as he cast his spell, and cackled.

"That's right! Kill eachother, you mindless primates! It won't be long, before you're all dead!" Vulcane shouted enthusiastically, his white robes fluttering on the hot heat, as the crackle of ki in the air became a low thrum, and sizzled around the fighters.

Candor chuckled, only the whites of his eyes showing as he kicked Zenaya down to the ground. She curled into a ball and wailed, as she was trapped in the frightened mind of a child.

"Get up, runt! Before I blast you where you ssstand!" He hissed, lost to the illusion that he was the salamander Roangue, and he kicked her in the back unmercifully.

"I thought you were the ssson of Bardock! Do you want to disgrace your father's legacy, whelp!? Or should we all remember him as the man that was too inebriated to match hands?!" Candor hissed, then backed away as she quickly got to her feet.

"No, you can't talk about my father that way!" She cried out, and surged forth, blasting him with a barrage of ki blasts.

_This is bad! These saiyans aren't just low-class prisoners, they're __something else **entirely! **_Piccolo thought in a panic, sweating profusely as he watched the scene. Onioan had nearly lost the battle, as he and Nappa rocketed back to the earth, the general hot on his tail.

"I'll never submit! The Dyjod will never be disbanded, " The saiyan cried in his broken voice, then turned around just as he landed, and held his hands out to block Nappa. It was too close to call, but as Nappa neared, he bellowed, and a great blast thundered all around the two, as heat rushed up and surrounded them, Piccolo screamed, "Special Beam Cannon!" And aimed it for the Gemini.

* * *

She didn't know what time it was, as Bulma stared out the window, lying on her side in Vegeta's bed. Her head seemed to slowly spin as if she were intoxicated, as the man sleeping soundly behind her held her close to him. Bulma blinked slowly, watching through the fluttering curtain as the sun slowly sunk, where the planets loomed in the sky, there would be no moon to replace the sun. Once the sun set, the sky would be totally dark. She pondered over it, with a dull sense of awareness, as she blinked her moist eyelids, feeling her entire body was warm, damp with their shared perspiration, as Vegeta's tail caressed her back in his sleep, for whatever reason, it would tickle the back of her spine as if searching for something, then curl around her waist, and pull her tight like it had before when Vegeta's tail sensed that Raditz had hurt her.

Bulma had never felt so special before, so completely possessed by a man. Even as Vegeta rested from the strain of his heat sickness, which was only quelled by mating, he still remained connected with her, and any small motion would make him respond by pulling her closer with a growl. So Bulma lied still, closing her eyes as she took comfort in his embrace. She smiled, hearing the steady purr he made, feeling the vibration from the rumbling he made deep in his chest. She sighed, noticing how the soft fur at the tip of his tail was stroking as if it was tracing circles on her abdomen, subconsciously trying to relax her abdominal walls, as he quivered just slightly, and she felt him swelling once again from within.

"Mmm.." She sighed, as he woke and kissed her throat, cupping her breasts and squeezing them as he moved up to fill her fully, smiling into her throat as she moaned softly from the shift in their comfortable position, it was as if they were made for one another as he melded his body close to her back, pressing down on the mating mark with his thumb as he began to make love to her once again, as he would multiple times, until he could ensure that Bulma was-_ Vegeta?_

Vegeta growled, and squeezed Bulma tighter, moving more roughly against her as he felt an annoying buzzing in the back of his head._ Get out of my head! Before I give you an aneurysm!_ He spoke back telepathically, and attempted to shut it out by seeing how loud he could make Bulma moan. _Vegeta, I would never interrupt the sacred bond you have with your mate, if this was not urgent! _Raditz thought back, from where he was down in the lab, looking out the window with his newly upgraded scouter on. Vegeta slowed his pace, and Bulma turned her head to look at him, wondering what was going on that had Vegeta looking so angry.

"Turn back around, Woman." He growled, and moved to lay on top of her, her face buried in the pillow.

_Vegeta. Please listen. It's about Nappa, something's **wrong!**_

Bulma growled, wiggling to free herself as he jerked up and bit into her shoulder, making her cry out. _Why should **I care?**_ He snapped back, growling back to Bulma to establish dominance as he gripped her by the backside and pulled her up onto her knees. _"Ahahhh!"_ She moaned hoarsely with surprise, gripping the sheets in her hands as Vegeta pressed the mating mark firmly with his thumb, licking his lips as he eyed it from above.

_Nappa raised us from whelps, you know that... he sacrificed his life for us. If we don't go and help him, he could **die! **I'll go alone if that's how you would repay his kindness._

Raditz said bitterly, and Vegeta hissed, squeezing his eyes shut.

_"Goddamnit!"_ He growled, and tore himself away from her, storming over to rifle through his dresser. Bulma was still frozen in place with her surprise, then sat up, feeling confused.

"Vegeta...? What's wrong?" She questioned softly, hiding her quivering mouth behind a closed fist. She felt a burst of something, like a sixth sense just before he'd moved away, and it felt... frightened.

"Nothing's wrong, just stay here. Don't leave my bed, I'll be right back to finish what we started." He said quickly, as he pulled on his blue under armour.

"You're putting on armour... but why, who's there to fight...? No, the Gemini?" She said, realization suddenly dawning on her.

_They want revenge._

_They want to kill every last Saiyan...!_

"I'll be fine, Bulma. I've done this before, since I was only a child I've been fighting, this battle is no different." He said quickly, as he pulled his armour over his head, then wrapped his tail around it.

"But you said before that they have special powers, Vegeta, how can you combat that...?" She wondered aloud, then flinched as he whirled back around in anger.

"Do not doubt my capabilities! I am your mate now, I will be back, and we will finish the ceremony, until then, you will be _silent!" _He seethed, but Bulma didn't flinch from his words. She flinched from her fear for him, as she stood, and held him around his shoulders while he put his gloves on.

"Fine, tough guy. Be that way, I'll be here. But you'd better come back quick, I'm going to miss your cute purr to lull me to sleep at night~" She teased, kissing his cheek. He didn't respond, instead he pulled his boots on, and turned around, holding her firmly in place by the shoulders as he looked her eye to eye.

"I'll be back, Bulma. As soon as they're dead, I'll return to you, and the next time, I'll not leave you feeling empty." He whispered, and Bulma looked at him, slightly confused by his wording.

"Oh, okay...? Good luck!" She said, feeling an uneasy sensation souring in the pit of her stomach. Vegeta pulled her close and kissed her firmly, then turned and jumped out the window. Before she even could say goodbye, he was gone.

She ran over to the window and watched, as two shadows moved in the odd light of the Eclipse. The door burst open from behind her, as a panicked looking blonde burst in.

"They're leaving!" She cried, disregarding Bulma's lack of clothes, she sobbed, and wrapped her arms around her waist, falling to her knees as if in pain.

"Raditz, he- he left!" She cried, and Bulma got down onto her knees with her, and stroked her blonde locks.

"Shh, it's ok, Launch." She soothed, and held her, resting her chin on the other girl's hair as she looked over at the open drawer, where the extra suits of armour were hanging out.

There was a large boom that shook the earth, as the two held each other close, feeling the reverberations all the way to their bones. Then, Launch stiffened in Bulma's arms, and stared out the window.

"What, what is it?" Bulma asked, frantic. Launch blinked slowly, her green cat eyes narrowing. "That feeling, it's like a, a weird...dream. I feel like I know that..."

Bulma stared on, amazed as Launch's eyes flashed crimson for just the tiniest second, so quickly that she'd almost missed it. Launch stood quickly, and charged for the window, not before Bulma grabbed her tail. _"Ow!" _Launch yelped, and turned around quickly.

"Wait, it's not safe!" Bulma said, then glanced back down.

"But _we_ will be." She said with a devilish grin, and eyed the armour in the drawer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, and P.S. if you haven't read Immortal Prince yet, and you love VegeBul and Launchitz, give it a read! It's next on my To-Do List of updates. Even if you have never read Dracula, or seen the movies, there's no need to feel you're not going to get what's going on. I'm starting from the very beginning, and seeing as I'm using both the book, and the movies as my guide, you'll be getting more of an education than from just watching any old Dracula movie, except, this is much different, and stars all our favorite characters! Toodles!~


	28. To Battle again Tomorrow

A thick layer of ozone hung low in the air, clouding his vision as Vegeta flew away from Capsule Corporation, leaving Bulma behind, and flying towards the ominous energy ahead. He felt torn, between leaving her before he could fully consummate their bond by marking her; and saving his sworn guard who he had spent a large portion of his life with.

_I **can't** let Nappa die. If there's just one single redeeming thing I can do in my wretched existence... then, this is it. I know that Bulma will understand._

"You feel that?" Raditz said, coming up behind him.

"Hm. It's unmistakable, I haven't felt a power like that since..."

"...Since before our home planet was destroyed. I wonder how many Saiyans there must be to exude a power like that, if it can be felt without a scouter." Raditz mused, as they flew at full speed towards it, Vegeta looked at him and stiffened, seeing the familiar green scouter over his eye.

"You have a _scouter_ on, fool? I destroyed mine, you should too. There's _no telling_ **_who_** could be listening in on the other end!" He hissed, almost going to go swipe it off his face, but Raditz stopped him.

"Prince Vegeta, it's **perfectly** safe! This is a two-way scouter, I modified it so that it will only communicate with Launch's once it's made. Unless you'd like one...?" He said, smiling to reassure Vegeta.

"Hmph. As if I'd want to hear whatever filthy things you and that hair-changing harlot are rambling about!" He growled, and Raditz chuckled, taking note to make one for Vegeta, with it's own private channel. He noticed the purple and red mark on Vegeta's throat and furrowed his brows, puzzled by it's irritated appearance. His had healed now, and was practically invisible but for a ring of pink teeth marks, that still glowed when he and Launch were together.

"Ok. That reminds me, did you and the earth woman consumm-" Raditz began to ask, but was silenced as Vegeta whipped him in the face with his tail as he sped up to get ahead of him. Raditz wiped the hair off his mouth, grimacing.

"_Of course_ I did! You think I'm _scared_ to bite some _puny_ woman!?" He retorted back sharply, his tail lashing with his anger. " ..I just wanted to be sure, you remember how bad my rut was on Yjdirock, I would have lost my mind if Nappa didn't bring me back to the rejuvenation chamber when he did." Raditz said softly, gulping as he recalled the painful experience. Vegeta was silent a moment, then shook his head.

"Only lower-classes like you experience that kind of pain during the rutting." He snorted, not making eye contact. Raditz sensed that his prince was lying, he knew by how Vegeta wrapped his tail around himself, and avoided his gaze.

"I apologize, your Majesty. I'm honored to be fighting by your side once again. Together... as Saiyan.." Raditz gulped. _Brothers._ He spoke mentally, and felt nervous, knowing Vegeta would most likely punish him for saying such a thing typically, but instead, Vegeta only pushed his ki further, propelling them closer to the battle.

"...You've been spending too much time with that ditzy woman, Runt." Vegeta smirked, and Raditz felt his heart flood with warmth, as he laughed softly, hearing his most hated nickname, but instead of feeling angry he felt honored, that Vegeta didn't deny him as a brother.

"I suppose I probably have, you're next Vegeta, with all the time you and that-"

They both froze, startled as there was a great, blinding white light that erupted from the pitch, with a impact sound that rumbled with such great resonance, as the barrier of sound was broken by the thunderous boom of Nappa's strongest attack yet.

"What the **hell** was _that?_" Vegeta shouted, his ears ringing as he and Raditz paused in mid air. "That had to be Nappa, but he never had an attack so _large!" _Raditz exclaimed, just as alarmed as Vegeta. They looked to one another a moment, then nodded, if Nappa were using such a powerful move, he had to have been desperate.

"Let's go, before that idiot blows himself up." Vegeta said quickly, clenching his fists to his sides as he flew, a thin stream of perspiration running down his temple.

* * *

Piccolo roared with the intensity of the Special Beam Cannon's power rushing from his index fingers in a corkscrew of molten hot energy, that quickly speared through the black inky atmosphere, and struck Vulcane dead in the spine, making a large opening in his center, as the Gemini recoiled, bellowing out in agony. Piccolo sunk to one knee, panting as he watched to see the reaction of the gemini.

"You, pitiful... Namekian, I should have killed you people as well..." Vulcane shuddered, looking back at Piccolo in shock, then shuddering as he looked down at the gaping hole in his center, before collapsing into a heap on the ground. Piccolo sighed, losing his tension, as the battle between Nappa and Onioan was coming to a standstill.

The beachside of East City was unrecognizable now, as Nappa stood, his thick legs quivering as he regained his footing, the whites of his eyes rolling forth to show his irises at last. The entire beach had been turned to slick, black glass from the sheer heat of Nappa's Volcanic Explosion, that had used up nearly all his energy as he stumbled to stand over Onioan. The other Saiyan had been at the center of the blast, where the glass cracked into a concave opening. He laid unresponsive, blood gushing from multiple lacerations.

Nappa sunk to the center of the impact crater and kneeled, his hands just barely touching his old friend in horror, as he shook with the frightening realization that it was _he_ who had done this to the innocent man who had never deserved a harmful hand in his life, he stroked Onioan's rough cheek, and heard him make a pained whimper, his eyelids fluttering. Nappa sighed, relived by the sound, and stood, turning around to look over at Piccolo and smile.

"Hey, you did it!" He said with a grin, and the Namek stood, hesitantly stepping forward, placing one finger on his lips for Nappa to be silent. The general gulped, feeling two familiar energies rushing forth.

"It's Raditz and Vegeta! They're coming!" He said with wonder, his dark eyes glimmering as he stared up at the sky, the others coming forth now as they sensed that it was safe. Kannon wrapped her hands around his arm and held close to him, and Nappa turned to hold her, watching the sky as the others returned. Candor and Zenaya recovered from the rubble, as he pulled her up from the shattered obsidian, she coughed hoarsely. "It's alright, it's over now." He said softly, pulling her to himself.

"No. The Planets _haven't_ returned to their proper place yet, that means something is not right." Piccolo announced, as he stepped forth to address the Saiyans, they all turned to look at him with doubt clear in their features.

"You blasted that Gemini straight through the sternum, Namek. He couldn't take that." Candor stated calmly, walking over and flipping Vulcane's inert form over with his foot.

"Don't touch him!" Piccolo shouted, taking a wide stance in the event the Gemini was still alive, he would be prepared to finish him off.

"Back! Get _back!"_ The red headed woman suddenly snarled from where she had been curled in a ball in fear, and ran over to cover him with her body.

"Tianshae, he's dead now, you're free." Kannon said softly, going to approach the Mars woman, one hand outstretched.

"NO! Get back, **traitor**!" She screamed, standing quickly, her robes suddenly blew out around her as a maroon surge of celestial energy rushed around her.

"Heh, yeah, I'm a traitor, so what? It's better than being a slave to that disgusting monster." She sneered, unintimidated. Nappa's hand loosened on her, as he turned and saw Vegeta and Raditz land, quickly approaching him.

"Nappa! You're ok!" Raditz yelled, and came flying up at him, his arms wrapping around him in a bear hug, as he plowed him over.

"Heh heh, ow! Watch it!" Nappa chuckled back, and Vegeta came forth, his arms crossed with a sideways smirk as the other two regained their composure and brushed themselves off, Nappa shoving Raditz away as if repulsed by his affection, a large grin on his face.

"I guess we're too late, hm? We thought you were out here, committing suicide, Nappa!" Vegeta berated him, with an irritated glare, his tail behind him swaying side to side with his relief that the old fool hadn't blasted himself and all these other Saiyans out of existence.

"Nah, it was nothin'," Nappa chuckled, ruffling one hand through Raditz's hair teasingly.

"Prince Vegeta!" Candor said with reverence, as he and the others came forth. Vegeta turned his head and hummed with his curiosity, narrowing his eyes at Candor as he and Zenaya stepped forth, a dull sense of recognition teasing him, but it was faint; after all, he hadn't seen the Royal Elites since he was only a child.

"You are the spitting image of your father, your Majesty." Zenaya said, as she knelt, bowling beside Candor. Vegeta scoffed sharply, turning his face away as he ignored them. He wasn't sure how to respond, not having expected a royal welcoming party. Raditz patted his shoulder from the side, and smiled down at him, encouraging him. Vegeta huffed again, and waved one hand dismissively for them to stand.

"I hadn't known any of my father's elites survived. The only one missing is... Zorn, where is that buffoon?" He said to Nappa, and the general stiffened, with a frown.

Candor and Zenaya looked to eachother with thoughtful gazes, and he was the one to speak, with his blunt nature.

"He perished on Planet Vegeta, protecting the king. He was a most loyal guard." His voice was solemn, as Zenaya buried her face in his armour, and he stroked her back. Nappa nodded, looking to the ground, wiping the back of his arm across his eyes as he attempted to conceal his hurt for his close friend.

"I see. He died an honorable death, then." Vegeta said, and turned away, staring at the faint scarlet on the horizon over the rocky, white foam of the churning sea, brought farther inland by the pull of the planets.

"...Raditz, Vegeta? Is that you.. ?" A small, husky voice said, from behind his back as Vegeta stiffened, recalling the familiar voice that he hadn't heard in ages.

"Miss... Miss Pinchie?" Raditz said, walking up to look down at the small woman in wonder. Vegeta barked a gruff laugh, turning around to scowl as Raditz picked up Kannon in his arms and swung her around as she giggled, Vegeta narrowed his eyes, grimacing.

"What are you, a fucking **child**, Raditz?!" He growled, spitting on the ground as Raditz turned with a large grin, an overjoyed light in his eyes as Kannon clung around his neck, held between him and Nappa.

_Like a family. _Vegeta felt his heart clench as if it were seizing, and swallowed down a large lump of emotion.

"It's... good to see you're not dead, foolish woman." He sneered, blushing from nose to ears with a surprising warmth, which he wasn't sure _why_ he was feeling. Kannon laughed, "Same to you, princey!"

* * *

The Saiyan woman in her was going wild, as Launch paced the small room, waiting for Bulma to at last be ready to leave. The bathroom door was closed, and there was a loud buzzing sound that confused Launch as she paced there.

"Whaddya doin? Let's **_GO!" _**Launch yelled, feeling tense, like every hair and nerve in her body was standing on end with both the urge to fight, and her concern for Raditz.

"Hold your horses, sheesh! I'll be out in a sec!" Bulma called, and shook her head, smirking as her hair tickled her jawline. Her long azure locks lay around her in piles, from where she had buzzed off nearly a pound of hair, leaving her with an angled bob that framed her face, with bangs and long side pieces still there to give a cute, girly touch. Bulma brushed off the golden shoulder pad of her borrowed armour, and nodded to herself.

_I can do this... I'm not afraid, after all the battles I've seen. Plus, I'll be safe with Launch, too._

"Alright, alright don't get your panties in a bunch, Launch. I'm almost ready." She said, and turned around, swinging open the door to dramatically present Launch with her new look.

"What do you think? Not too boyish, right? You think Vegeta will like it?" Bulma asked, fretfully playing with a lock of hair.

"W-What?! _That's_ what you were doing, cutting your _hair?!" _Launch sputtered, frustrated. "Our men are _out **there** fighting!"_ She screeched, hopping off the floor with her anger, and Bulma nodded, patting Launch on her identical shoulder pad.

"Ok, sorry, I just thought this would be more convenient. Let's go get my plane, and we can go." The pixie cut bluenette said with a chuckle, and Launch nodded, storming out of the room with her golden brown tail swishing from before her high waisted blue under armour.

They went quickly down the hall, headed for the lab, when Bunny stopped them.

"Oh my, Bulma, Launchie dear! You two look like soldiers!" She gasped, her hand to her open, pink lip-sticked mouth.

"See, I knew this hair cut was too short! Ugh!" Bulma frowned, stomping her white boot. "Nonsense, some makeup, maybe a perm, and you'd look _stunning!" _Bunny said excitedly, licking her fingertips and attempting to better arrange her daughter's hair.

"You think, mom? I _really_ hope Vegeta likes it." She said nervously, biting her nail.

Bunny patted her own blonde bouffant hair primly, smirking wisely at her daughter.

"Well, what _I've_ found is that _certain_ men really _like_ girls with short hair, see it shows off your pretty neck, and doesn't get in the way during certain _activities~_"

"Grrrr! We don't have **_time_** for _silly hairdos!"_ Launch growled, her Saiyan nature truly showing as her tail frizzed up, her eyebrows furrowed in the middle.

"It'll just take a minute!" Bunny said, preening at her daughter, who had taken to admiring herself in the hallway mirror.

"Oh, there you are, Lunch, was it?" Dr. Briefs called from down the hallway, waving around a white baggie.

"I don't know where that nice fellow, Raditz flew off to, but I've got your medicine all ready!" He yelled, making his way slowly down the incredibly long hallway as Launch tapped her foot impatiently.

"Well, bring it to me! I don't have all freakin' day!" She yelled, and sent everyone back a few inches from fear, as a heatwave rushed out around her, a golden aura like a flame making the floor quiver.

"Calm down! I've got your anti-wh-I mean, anti-sappo pregnancy aids right here, if I could just _get there_ faster," Dr. Briefs huffed, puffing on a cigarette as he was walking certainly didn't help with his stamina, as he was practically out of breath. As Launch stormed up to him and took the bag of medication, the door bell suddenly rung, and everyone turned their heads, startled.

"Why, who could that be..?" Bunny said, and Bulma frowned.

"Ugh! I can't entertain guests right now!" Bulma groaned, her hands on her hips.

The intercom buzzed from downstairs, playing on the many speakers planted throughout the house.

"Hey, Bulma! It's me, is it ok if I come in?" A familiar voice said, and she stiffened, looking to her mother for help. Bunny put a finger to her chin, worriedly, then the buzzer went off again, as Dr. Briefs was too out of breath to protest, Launch was taking her medicine, and Bulma was feeling highly conflicted on what to do.

"I brought along Master Roshi, if that's ok! We were hoping you could update us on all the weird things going on!" Yamcha yelled into the intercom, making them all cover their ears and cringe. Bulma tapped her foot, irritated, then clicked the button to answer.

"Make it snappy, or **_else!" _**She seethed, and with that, she clicked the button to unlock the door, storming down the hallway with what was sure to be smoke pouring out her ears, if possible.

* * *

He stared at his feet in the grass, rubbing one shoe on his itchy ankle anxiously, as his mother was humming, curiously poking at the dragon radar. "Let's see, there's one ball here, but how do we get to it?" She mused, poking the screen to try and zoom in onto the co-ordinates.

"Ugh! I just don't _get_ this stupid thing!" She exclaimed, and rose her arm as if to throw it. That caught Gohan's attention, and he gasped, gripping her arm firmly to stop her. Chi-Chi was stopped, startled by her son's strength as he held her arm still.

"Alright, mom. Let's think about this logically before we get all upset." He said, and put one hand out, waiting for her to loosen her death grip on the radar. Chi-Chi stared at her son, who had a stern gaze, and at that moment looked so much like his father, tears budded in her eyes as she let go of the radar, and dropped to her knees, sobbing.

"My baby's so grown up! Oh, Gohan!"

"Mom! Come on, the dragon ball's this way!" Gohan urged, shaking her by the shoulder. Chi-Chi nodded, wiping her eyes, and smiled at her son, as she got up and followed. They moved down the slope carefully, Chi-Chi having to hang into trees for leverage, while Gohan flew up ahead.

"Not too far, sweetie! You never know what could be out there!" She called, clinging onto a tree desperately as the ground got slicker, and more steep, as large drops of cold rain began to fall, making her shiver, as she blinked the beads of water from her eyelashes.

_This is that place! It has to be...It was nearly a year ago now, when I fell down the hill gathering herbs, but was stopped from falling into the ravine by a round, white object... Then, Goku heard my cries for help, and came and saved me, before pulling that big thing out. It couldn't be there now, we brought it over to Bulma's... But, Goku sure did act odd when he saw it, he got all quiet and contemplative like I've never seen him before..._

"Hey, Mom! I found something! I think the dragon ball's in here!" Gohan yelled, startling her out of her silent reverie.

"In where?!" She yelled, her eyes widening as she watched Gohan through the falling sheets of rain, his tail wagging as he looked around curiously, and reached to touch the white sphere.

"I think this is some kind of spaceship! There's a little window here, and I can see the dragon ball inside!" Gohan yelled, and Chi-Chi's heart began to race; for some reason she didn't know, she felt suddenly anxious.

"Get back from that thing, Gohan! You have no idea what it is!" She screamed, feeling panicked, as there was a hiss, and the door came unlatched. Gohan reached in to get the ball, and slipped, then the door closed firmly over him, sealing him inside. _"Gohan! Gohan!" _She cried, and let go of the tree holding her back, running down the hill, then stumbling, as she slid down the slick mudslope, and fell, her ankle contorting beneath her as her body collapsed; and her head hit the side of the pod, the last words she heard being;

**"Awaken, Soldier 276, Kakarot. You have been sent here to infiltrate this planet. It is your duty to eliminate the inferior life forms on this planet, if you can survive and successfully purge this planet, you may be granted a military position on your home planet, Vegeta..."**

Red lights flashed in the pod, as Gohan banged on the door, and white light began to flash as well, hurting both his ears and eyes; in order to awaken and anger the child inside.

**"Kakarot, this is your father, Bardock. We had to send you away before things get worse here, your mother Gine and I think it would be better if you go off planet for a while, your brother, Raditz is also off in space, if you never hear from us again, go find him, he and Nappa will help you..."**

Gohan screamed and cried, not understanding what the messages were meant to say, he was not Kakarot, he was Gohan, but as the lights flashed, and the thunder crashed overhead, washing over the ruby window of the pod, he screamed.

**"Son this is your mother, Gine! I'm so sorry we had to send you away, but you are a Saiyan! We live to fight, we are a warrior race! The desire to fight is in your blood! You must carry out your orders, and then come back to us, Kakarot, we _need_ you...! Your father and I love you!"**

Gohan felt his heated blood throbbing through his veins, as the lights flashed, and the instructions continued, along with light projections that showed the stranger's faces, and instructions, educational aids, that all when by so quickly, Gohan's head was spinning, throbbing with all the new information. The man who looked much like his father appeared again, holding a white ball of energy in his hand, and demonstrating how to use it.

**"Kakarot, you must know; I created a way for Saiyans to transform, no matter what planet you are on, whether it has a moon or not, if you form a ball of energy in your hand, and thrust it up into the sky, it will simulate an artificial moon. This way, the blutz waves that make us transform will still take effect, no matter where you are. Use this power sparingly, only when you need it.** **"**

Then, the recorded messages from his grandparent's ended, and the process began again.

**"Awaken, Soldier 276, Kakarot. You have been sent here to infiltrate this planet. It is your duty to eliminate the inferior life forms on this planet, if you can survive and successfully purge this planet, you may be granted a military position on your home planet, Vegeta..."**

Gohan looked around frantically, pounding the buttons on the dashboard, panting hysterically as the air began to feel close around him; his heart racing as he panicked.

**"Desensitization process beginning, in 1, 2, 3... Kakarot. Kill all life forms. You live to kill, you are a purging machine. Kill all life forms, and you will be rewarded. Kill. You live to kill, you are a purging.."**

_Hissssss... _The ship wound down, the recording slowing as he hit a large green button, and released the stasis gas. The world around him became fuzzy, wavering into two, as he began to see double, before his eyes rolled back into his head, the system at a standstill, as he fell to sleep, and all became black once again.

...

_Ouch... _She thought internally, as Chi-Chi began to stir, feeling cold, drenched through, with the biting cold rain still stinging her skin. There was sudden light illuminating the pink interior of her eyelids, as her eyes flickered back and forth, then slowly opened. She blinked, wearily, then squinted, and saw where the white flash's afterglow still lingered in the pitch black sky, dappled with stars. She heard a boom, then the ground shook, as she struggled to sit up, feeling a stabbing pain throbbing in her ankle. Chi-Chi got up onto her knees, looking back, to where Gohan slept soundly in the pod. She sighed, she felt anxious knowing he was trapped in there; balancing in the crack of the deep ravine, but perhaps whoever caused that light was over there, could help her pry open the pod, and get him out before it could fall into the chasm.

Chi-Chi grit her teeth, and nodded, crawling on her hands and knees towards the illumination. She momentarily forgot about the pouch of senzu beans in her pocket, as her determination distracted her, in the quest to save her son. She gripped the grass in her hands, pulling herself along, digging her knees in the mud, until her pink pants were surely drenched and soiled, but that didn't matter. She was making it up the hill, where she could see a familiar shadow, and screamed out with her joy.

"Goku!" She cried, her heart racing as she saw his unmistakable silhouette, and got to her feet, hopping over quickly on her one good leg, as he turned and saw her, a small smirk on his face.

"Goku, I'm so glad to see you! You have to help me! Gohan's trapped in a ship, and-" She began, then paused, as he turned around fully to meet her, and she stood still, her mouth parted as she panted heavily, taking her husband's strange appearance in. He wore form-fitting armour, black and glossy, with red shoulder pads. His skin was not pale, pinkened and squeaky clean like her sweet Goku's, it was tanned and rugged, with scratches and multiple scars.

"Goku...? You look... different.." She breathed, leaning up against a tree.

_Wow... h__e looks... sexy! _She thought, her eyes wide as they raked over him, taking in his new look without any shame.

He frowned, reaching up to press the button on a red glass device over his eye, reading her power level.

"Hmm..."

_504...? That's slightly weak for a Saiyan woman...but I suppose that's alright, she **is** quite attractive._

"I don't know who this 'Goku' is, but I'm not him. My name is Kakarot." He said sternly, his voice deeper pitched than her beloved husband's, as he stepped forth with one heavy boot with a red sleeve like the ones on his arms; examining her studiously with narrowed, black onyx eyes.

"W-What...? That's not possible, you're completely identical, unless he has a twin." She stuttered, gulping, her throat suddenly feeling dry as he approached her.

"Twin? No, I have an older brother, but we don't look simular enough to be considered twins. I **do** have a distant cousin, named Turles who looks quite like me. Nevermind that, are you injured, female?" He grunted, sniffing sharply at the sweet blood scent coming from her injured ankle.

"Oh, uh...y-yes, I twisted my ankle." She stuttered, feeling her cheeks redden from the odd way he had sniffed her.

"You have to get our son, Go..'Kakarot', he's trapped!" She said, biting her lip nervously.

She didn't know what kind of game Goku was playing, but it was somewhat familiar. He'd been something of a comedian before, doing impressions of past foes, and villains on TV sometimes for fun; knowing it made Chi-Chi giggle and blush. She would run away from him playfully, and he would chase her, then snatch her up, and promptly carry her off somewhere for some more naughty playtime -in private. She smiled, resolving that her silly Goku was role-playing with her once again, except she didn't remember _this _villain, but she was becoming very fond of him already.

His head perked up, and he furrowed his brows. "Son? _We_ have a son?" He said, and Chi-Chi slapped him right across his chiseled jaw with a loud crack, making his nostrils flare, his eyes light with intense fervor as he glared back at her.

"_Of course_ we have a son! Come on, we can play games later, first, **Go. Get. Gohan!** _Sheesh! _I haven't seen you for ages, then the _first_ thing you want to do is get in my pants! Well not until you get our son, **_buster!" _**She screamed at him, making him stiffen, then purr, blinking at her appreciatively; impressed by her defiance.

"Heh heh...What a _feisty_ little female you are. Alright then, if that's how you want to 'play'. I'll go retrieve our 'son'. Go rest by my space pod, I'll be back in just a moment." Kakarot said, smiling at her, then grinning wider when Chi-Chi pecked him on the cheek, holding his face in her hands.

"I really missed you, you know! It's been hell without you!" She sighed, her warm, chocolatey brown doe eyes with long, black silky lashes fluttering at him completely melting his hard exterior as he stared into them, and nodded eagerly.

"I didn't know it, but gods, have I been _missing_ you..." He responded gruffly, then pulled her close to kiss her, with a hard collision of their lips, Chi-Chi yelped with her surprise, and he took advantage, taking her by the waist and pulling her up to him, arching her back with his deep, passionate kiss. Chi-Chi had no option but to give in, moaning as he forced his hot tongue into her mouth and wrestled it with her own, squeezing her buttocks vulgarly, before picking her up, and setting her by the ship.

Chi-Chi didn't even have time to speak, as she panted heavily, overwhelmed by her husband's passion, as she watched him fly away, her hand over her breast, feeling her rapidly pounding heartbeat.

_Oh, my gosh... I like **this** game... _She thought, then laid back against the ship, attempting to calm herself down.

* * *

"Gee, you sure beaned him good, Tien." King Kai said, as he nudged Goku's inert form on the ground with his shoe.

"Man, I was just trying to get Gregory! I wasn't trying to get Goku! I can't believe I _actually_ knocked him out!" Tien exclaimed, dropping the huge hammer he'd been swinging around, chasing after the hyper-speed cricket.

"...Well, given that the gravity here is 10x that of Earth's, I'd say that sort of evens out the playing field for you all. I'm sure he'll be fine. Remember, you _can't_ die here, and even if you **do**, you'll come back after a little while."

"Are you saying... he's **dead?!**" Krillin shouted, and King Kai patted his shoulder, chuckling. "Help me pull his head out, boys. He may feel dizzy for awhile, that blow was _coma-inducing, _Tien!" King Kai scolded, then relented, as they helped yank Goku's head out of the ground, where when he came out, he had a silly expression, his tongue sticking out, and his eyes swirling around dazedly.

"I'm really sorry, Goku! I feel terrible." Tien said, frowning, as Bubbles jumped up and bit his finger as revenge, and he shook his arm around frantically, yelping with pain.

"Good job, dumbass!" Gregory teased, lighting up his butt and buzzing around tauntingly, waiting for Tien to pick back up the hammer. Tien growled, tossing Bubbles off, and grabbed his weapon, making a war cry as he charged for the irritating insect; smashing giant craters in the ground as he swung and missed him.

Krillin, Chioutzu and King Kai picked up Goku, and carried him into the house, lying him on the couch.

"Rest up awhile, Goku. Come on, you boys may as well keep trying to get Gregory while we wait, I'm sure he'll bounce back in no time." King Kai said, and the other's nodded. Goku laid limp, unresponsive on the couch; his eyes closed as was lost in a form of limbo, dreaming that he was back on Earth, but he wasn't himself, after that blow to the head, he felt totally different, and the things he was saying in his dreams didn't make any sense... but Chi-Chi was there, and that made it better.

* * *

"Aaaahhhh... That's better!" he exclaimed loudly, as Korin stretched, feeling refreshed from his long nap. His tail quivered, as he stretched his back out, then stood, cracking it before looking for his wooden staff. He grabbed, it, twirling around, then strolled out of the room, looking all around for his resident tub o' lard. What he did find, was garbage strewn everywhere, mainly, chip bags... Which could only be from** one** culprit.

"Yajirobe!" He shouted, banging his stick on the ground, the garbage on the floor moving in shockwaves. He sensed movement, and looked over, to where his senzu bean farming fatass was passed out on the floor. "Hey, wake up!" Korin hissed, and prodded him in the gut.

"Huh..?" Yajirobe groaned, as he sat up, blinking tiredly, with some unknown substance smeared all over his cheeks.

"What on Earth happened here!?" Korin demanded, pulling him up by the collar of his short orange, striped yukata. Yajirobe blinked, brushing the dirt off himself.

"I dunno, I remember taking a few trips to town and back for some food, before everything got all.. black and stuff." He grumbled, looking around at the mess he'd made. Korin looked out at the balcony, seeing the dark sky, and gasping.

"What... the...? It's an Eclipse? But there's more than one obstructions... How?" The cat murmured, scratching his chin.

"Don't ask _me. _Why don't you go ask Kami or something, he knows more about that stuff than me." The fat ronin shrugged, feeling around the empty chip bags on the floor, until he found one, and went to snatch it. "Ah-Ah-Ah! _No_ more potato chips!" Korin said, holding the chip bag firmly with the end of his staff. Yajirobe sat back, pouting, his beady black eyes glancing to the bag and back as Korin addressed him.

"I for once, am going to take your advice and go visit with Kami. But please, _stay here, _and check the barrel to see if Chi-Chi is alright. Sometimes people get lost in there, and _forget_ that they're not in the real world, if you sense that she is lost, call down to her, and she should hear you. After that, I want you to clean up all this garbage!" The cat sneered, and smashed the chips with his staff.

Yajirobe nodded, and stood, rubbing his eyes. "Alright, y'know I kinda forgot that crazy lady was down there. I hope she's alright." He muttered, and Korin nodded, before taking flight, up to The Lookout.

* * *

He had always felt like an outsider; all his life, Piccolo had known he was like any of the rest. That feeling had not left him, as he sat not too far away, his eyes trained on the planets for movement. As he drowned out the Saiyans milling about, talking, sparring, and bantering with one another, he began to feel an odd sensation, tingling in the back of his skull.

_What is it? _He thought, closing his eyes.

A familiar voice greeted him, to which he smiled.

_Piccolo. You know as well as I, what the issue here is, don't you...? _Kami spoke, and Piccolo sighed, nodding grimly.

_Yes. Although I have killed the Gemini, the planets still remain stagnant; and the tide has not receded. _He responded, looking at the ground where the red garbed woman was still clinging to her dead master, sobbing.

_Keep an eye out for anything suspicious._

Kami said warily, and Piccolo agreed.

_I will. Don't worry. I'm not so quick to assume, like some others. _He growled. Kami chuckled softly, verbally teasing at Piccolo. _Ah, do not blame them for rejoicing. These saiyans have suffered long enough. Just **do not **let them leave, you may require their strength in the future. _Piccolo nodded, looking over to observe their odd activity. As he watched, they seemed to be crowded around the Saiyan who had made impact with the ground, after the intense battle he and Nappa had been in. Kannon, Nappa and Raditz were standing around him, helping him to sit up. Onioan grunted, in agonizing pain as he leaned against Nappa's leg, most of his lacerations had stopped bleeding besides a few on his broad, hairy chest where his armour had been completely disintegrated.

"Onioan... hurt, bad. Here." He managed to say, pointing to the deep wound in his stomach, and Nappa nodded, grimly.

"I can't even remember fighting you, in my mind, I was fighting Captain Dyjod!" He sighed, exasperated.

"It's ok, General. Not your fault." Onioan said, patting his hand where it was resting on his shoulder.

"Onioan was the mean alien, and General was just trying to beat him." He said, looking up and smiling.

Vegeta watched from a few feet away, listening in on the odd conversation. Apparently, they had gone through one of the Gemini's famed telepathic memory scourges, like the one he'd had before, but that Gemini seemed to be gone now, though Vegeta still looked around for Grenada, hoping to fight and kill him.

"Hey, it's ok! My girl has these great healing powers, she can get you back on your feet in no time!" Raditz said, and Onioan nodded, looking hopeful. Kannon smiled, eyeing Raditz wistfully.

"You have a girl, Raditz..?" She asked, pushing him in the arm. He scratched at the back of his head, blushing a little as she nudged him.

"Yeah, she's great. I can't wait for you to meet her." He said, and looked to Nappa, smirking knowingly.

"What?" The big man said, completely oblivious, but that didn't last long, when they noticed an odd, golden light coming from their peripheral.

"I told you, it's not over!" Piccolo shouted, as the Saiyans all tensed, watching as Tianshae's body glowed golden, as she cried out in pain, then was thrust away, rolling like a rag doll across the black obsidian.

They held their breath, watching as the corpse known as Vulcane slowly moved, his narrow chest sighing, and his lungs refilling as the Special Beam Cannon's exit wound filled in with golden light, then healed completely, as he was healed from using the Gemini woman's life energy.

"You would be correct in saying that, Namekian. For I do not die." Vulcane rasped, with a hearty chuckle, as his body slowly levitated into the air, then he straightened, floating vertically to look down at them all.

Raditz and Vegeta stared, watching the anomaly, and Raditz narrowed his eyes, his lip curling back as he recognized the familiar scene.

"You... it has to be, you're the one who corrupted Tien's mind, and made him into a monster...You're his father, aren't you?" He growled, narrowing his eyes on the roved figure above, who smiled down at him condescendingly.

"Hmm, and who are you, but some inbred ape, it's a shame that he failed to kill you, but oh well, I suppose_ 'father knows best'."_ He sneered, and rose his arms, drawing in power from the sources all around him.

Parts of the obsidian began to crack, and the underground crystals where he had stored his energy began to rise, and whipped around the air around him, as Tianshae watched, a lost look in her eyes at the mention of Tien's name. She sat on the ground, her red hair, and maroon kimono fluttering around her as she mouthed the name, then cringed, as Vulcane looked quickly back, and she retracted back immediately as if stung; hissing in pain.

"We do not speak of the one who was born without the lust for battle; for shame, how does one born from two Mars Gemini come out like a weakling _Neptunian. _That is why Tianshae left him on the steps of the monastery, _didn't_ she?" He seethed, and the woman quickly nodded, a pained look in her watery amber eyes.

"Pitiful; you fools, will you _ever_ learn?" Vegeta suddenly spat out, approaching Raditz's side, and looking on with a knowing sneer.

"We Saiyans made the same mistake, exiling those to weak to fight, sentencing them to a long life of sentience, _wasting _their potential, when all they truly needed was some prodding, once pissed off, _any_ one of us Saiyans could best a Gemini." He said with a laughing tone, and Raditz looked at him with his brows furrowed, curious about who he could possibly be referencing, perhaps Tarble? The Prince was covered with a fine sheen of perspiration, as he laughed, the sound coming out more like a rasping cough.

"Stand back, your Majesty. Let me take him." Raditz said, holding one arm out to block him. Vegeta pushed through, and flew directly at Vulcane, as the Gemini quickly anticipated him, and lifted the black glass shards into the air around him, and pulsed them out at a threatening speed. Vegeta darted around them, blocking some with his arms, smashing them as he flew.

"Stop! A direct assault will have **_no effect!" _**Piccolo shouted angrily from below, his teeth bared as he watched the Saiyan approach Vulcane head on, rearing back in mid air, then readying himself, his fists clenched as he challenged him.

"Psh, he has no idea! If I tear your body into bloody strips, and strew them all into smithereens, you couldn't possibly regenerate!" Vegeta cackled, then threw the first punch at Vulcane, laughing as the Gemini dipped and dived around his blows almost like a paper fluttering in the wind, the thin man was so quick, Vegeta attempted to anticipate where he would move next, and was struck, the tip of a Katana hitting him in his armoured abdomen, where it pierced, momentarily blowing the wind out of him. Vegeta gasped, flying back quickly, clutching where the blade had cut him deeply, blood pulsing out from his fingers. He rumbled deep in his chest with anger, a fire stoked with his animosity flickering in his enraged onyx eyes.

"How?! How did such an inferior weapon pierce through my armour so easily?" He snapped, demanding to know how this was possible, as he stared at the silver blade; in disbelief of it's potential to harm him. Vulcane softly chuckled, and held one hand out below the blade, allowing the blood to turn golden on his fingers, before absorbing into his skin.

"Silly Saiyan, I've analyzed that armour you all wear, and made a component stronger than that, how fool do you take me to be?" He snickered, amused as Vegeta's frown grew deeper at this news.

Then his gaze transformed into concealed horror, as this absorbed blood seemed to only make the man look more youthful, and strong.

"Ahh, that's _pure_ saiyan blood! The Elite kind is my favorite, but I have to say, whatever _you_ are is the best I've ever had! Keep bleeding like a stuck pig, and pretty soon I'll have **all** your energy." He snickered, sheathing his blade, where as Vegeta eyed it; he noticed a crimson red ball at the end of the pommel, with four black stars. Not knowing of the dragon balls, it did not strike him as anything but a decorative piece.

"So, you like the taste of Super-Elite, Royal blood, do you?" Vegeta seethed lowly, his eyes moving back up to meet the Gemini's citrine ones.

"Yes..." The Gemini hissed, and rose his arms, bringing forth his barrage of glass daggers once again. Vegeta readied himself, blocking the daggers, as they shattered on his skin, clearly they weren't quite as tough.

"Fine, if you like the taste of me so much, why don't you taste my fist!" He challenged, then attacked again, as Piccolo looked on with agitation, clenching his fist.

"Hey, you... You're that green man from before, aren't you? Piccolo?" Raditz queried, Nappa at his back, and the Namekian nodded, his verdant countenance displaying his clear discontent with the current situation.

"Yes. You live, do you? I'm surprised that you survived that blast, I thought for sure you were dead, Raditz." Piccolo said with a small amount of surprise, to which Raditz smirked. "We Saiyans have excellent healing powers, just like you apparently; last I knew you were _missing_ an arm." He said curiously, eying it as if wondering whether or not it was fake.

"Yes. Namekians have the power of regeneration. But, that's past the point. We need to stop your friend there, before he kills himself trying to fight that...freak."

Raditz sighed and looked up to observe Vegeta, his arms crossed over his chest as he wore a doubtful expression.

"I'm afraid that may pose quite the challenge, you see... Once Vegeta sets his mind on defeating an enemy, there's no stopping him... but knowing his Highness, there's a chance he may manage somehow to defeat him.." Raditz said, and Piccolo joined him in watching, gritting his teeth as the battle endured. Vegeta had backed the Gemini up into a corner, and was beating his frail body back and forth like a ragdoll, before blasting him with ki blasts, the Gemini was no contender in terms of physical fighting.

"Perhaps he has great battle strength, but that's not what's needed here to defeat Vulcane. His body can regenerate from anything we throw at him, that's why what he's doing is futile..."

Raditz looked at Piccolo with widened eyes, then back at Vegeta.

"That's where you're wrong... he can do anything he sets his mind to...I just _know_ it, Vegeta can defeat him." He said, more or less to give himself reassurance, as he clenched one fist tightly, and watched with anxious trepidation.

As Vegeta flinched back quickly, his hands alight with white hot, lavender ki, Vulcane pulled his katana out before him protectively with what little strength he had left, the blade rattling in his weakened grip as he attempted to hold it before himself like a shield.

"Your shiny kitchen cutlery cannot assist you now, I'm afraid, you types rely too heavily on weapons, and place no value on sheer physical strength. But no need to worry, it'll all be over soon, Gemini. You and your wretched kind will be washed from this planet, just as nature intended, where the shit pipe goes, nobody knows." Vegeta taunted, grinning widely, his cheeks pale, and dappled with heavy drops of sweat as he panted, keeping up his strong façade.

_I have to finish him off quickly, the pain of my third ester of life is now at a head, I will be going through another heat-spell soon, I cannot afford to make myself so vulnerable._

Vegeta breathed heavily, glaring at the Gemini before him, in the hazy pitch, the vision that was dancing, and blurring into triplicate images before his unfocused eyes, grinning back, as Vulcane sensed Vegeta's weakness, and licked his lips.

"Is that so, saiyan...?" He sneered, his magmatic eyes glowing from the raised silver of his sword, darting down to Raditz and the others as they watched.

"The Prince of All Filth... heheh.. They wait for you, your loyal subjects, look at them down there, all with hope gleaming in their eyes, such strong belief in their Prince... But they don't know, do they? Look at you, you're _sick_. I can **smell** it, the _rancid_ scent of copulation and perspiration. I'll never understand that _animalistic_ desire to mate, but I've always enjoyed watching you males suffer, once separated from your female, you become weak... She takes away the pain, doesn't she?" He hissed, his voice low, and curling with his threatening knowledge, as Vegeta's heart raced in his chest.

_That's why... Bulma. The pain only stopped when I was with her...! And I left her behind, so that I could jump eagerly into my death..._

Vegeta turned his face sharply away from the knowing gaze of the Gemini, a sharp pain, lancing through his heart. He opened his eyes, and looked down to Raditz, not concealing the moisture pooling from his tear ducts, as the other looked up at him worriedly, his body tensed as he waited for Vegeta's command.

_Do you require assistance, My Prince? _Raditz asked telepathically, and Vegeta cut off their connection, looking back at his opponent, as his rage rose up from deep within his core, and burned there, sending fire through his veins, as he tossed his head back and laughed, a starburst of his energy blasted out around him, with an electrical intensity that danced around him in frantic tendrils, the dark of the endless night now illuminated, as Vegeta rocketed quickly up into the air, and stared down at the puny being below, made only visible by his fluttering white robe that was in bloody tatters.

"I'll show you! I'll show you how inferior your race is to the great strength of a Super-Elite! I will wipe your existence from this earth, you will be eliminated into ashes!" He screamed, enraged, his heart thrashing wildly in his ribcage as his pain increased, and his blood pulsed to each fingertip, as Vegeta felt his bones stretching, felt the new cells rebuilding, as he sweated out the old, this would be his most painful growth acceleration yet; but he would survive it.

"Galick Gun... **_FIRE!" _**He roared, and surged out the beam, quickly striking his opponent, he grinned, feeling the satisfaction of having hit, Vegeta surged his beam out, blinded by it's sheer intensity, and his rage, as he blasted Vulcane into the sheer bluff, and through it, not stopping when he felt the solid mass giving way, he cackled with his enthusiasm, and used his last vestiges of power to finally blast the Gemini into oblivion. The earth around them crumbled, black glossy glass fragments slicing and swirling through the air, as the immense power made the ground shudder, and at last, darkness reclaimed all, and Vegeta fell.

He closed his eyes, a small smile on his face, as he hurtled from the sky in a deadly drop, and sighed, allowing the hot air to rake its fingers through his hair, and caress him, carrying him to his rest.

_If this is the least I could have done, it was with all my heart. _He thought, then fell unconscious, as he was swiftly caught in the arms of his loyal elite guard, as Nappa caught him, quickly saving him from falling, and carried him to the ground. The obsidian crystals fell, and crashed onto the beach as gravity regained its influence, and made symphony with the heavy crashing of the ocean, as Vegeta slept, weightless, that crashing inside was his shattered bones, his blood pulsing through his veins.

"Will he be ok..?" Raditz asked anxiously, hesitantly reaching out to rest his hand on Vegeta's forehead, feeling the intense heat there as Nappa held his smaller saiyan cradled in his arms easily.

"He didn't listen to me, did he? He didn't believe that it would ever happen to him, but here we are. Vegeta is at last going to be a fully-matured male, if he can survive this." Nappa said solemnly, and Raditz nodded. "His woman is safe at home, should I call for her?" He whispered, afraid to wake Vegeta, as Nappa cradled his head carefully, and set him down.

"Yes, call her. Tell her to come sit with him, mend his wounds if she can. We aren't out of this yet, I'm afraid." Nappa said softly, and stood.

He was joined by Bdakka, Rachanā, Candor, Zenaya and Onioan, as they all stared down at their Prince with admiration.

"He fought for us, you said he wouldn't come, but he **did**. Prince Vegeta came for us.." Zenaya said, her voice shaking as she looked down at him, and wiped her eyes.

"He has made his father proud, and his father's before him, all who bear the name Vegeta." Candor said, and pounded his fist on his breastplate.

"For Vegeta. For Vegeta." They all echoed, as Raditz did the Saiyan salute, and closed his eyes, seeking out his mate.

_Come to the battle, Launch. We need you. Bring Bulma, Vegeta needs her. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I apologize for the long wait, but I was debating on things that I wanted to do, but certain people told me not to do them, and I had to just take my own advice and write what I want. This is my vision, and although others may have done it differently, I know how I want my story to go. I hope you were entertained by the little Kakarot/Chi-Chi snippet, let me know if one day you'd like a story like that, because I'm considering it. I will begin work on my next chapter next, and hopefully I can have a bonus chapter for you all :)


	29. Binding Of The Fates

"Now, now, everybody, please sit and relax!" Bunny said sweetly, in her usual manner, her head cocked to the side with upturned eyes, as the corner of her mouth slightly twitched; keeping her frown back as Yamcha, Puar and the old Turtle Hermit came and sat down.

_I sure hope Bulma knows what's best for her! She'd better kick Yamcha to the curb, I want her to have beautiful grandbabies with that hunk, Vegeta!_

Bunny beamed brightly, waiting until everyone was seated in the bright, grassy dinosaur room, where there was no eclipse; only bright, artificial lighting emulating the environment of the paleozoic age. Once even the old Turtle that always seemed to be around the old man was seated on the rustic wooden picnic table, with a red and white checkerboard tablecloth, she set down a large pitcher of sweet iced tea, and a tray of finger sandwiches for everyone. 'Bunny' Panchy Briefs was always the perfect hostess, and the most put-together woman of her age, with a white 50's housewife dress on with blue polka dots and a scoop neck, and a matching blue ascot around her neck.

"Panchy, dear, do you remember having any side effects from the pregnancy medication I made for you, _oh_, 27 years ago?"

_"Dad!"_ Bulma yelled, blushing brightly at the mention of her age, and the fact that those two had to actually... _be intimate_...to conceive her and Tights.

"_Ugh!_ Blech, give me some tea to wash the taste of vomit out of my mouth!" She scowled, put into a bad mood by Yamcha's googly eyes watching her every move, as he complimented her hair, her armour, and snivelled at her heels all the way until they reached the dinosaur room.

The small blue cat on his shoulder looked irritated, his tail whipping back and forth, hitting his master's cheek, as he and Scratch eyed one another, and growled lowly.

"Hush, kitty. It's just your old acquaintance, Puar! You recognize him, surely." The doctor said, patting the black cat's head to calm her down.

Puar was upset for another reason, he had bit and clawed his way to try and stop Yamcha from coming here, but his master was stubborn, and just wouldn't listen to reason.

Bunny poured the dark brewed tea, with loads of sugar, ice and lemons, into everyone's glasses as she thought about her husband's question.

"Hmm, well... My memory is sorta' fuzzy, but I could have sworn there was _somethin'_..."

"Hah-**CHOO**!" Launch bellowed, her gigantic sneeze making the dinosaurs flee; as her hair suddenly changed blue.

"_Bless you! _Would anyone care for some cookies? I can make a batch, or perhaps éclairs?" She asked sweetly, and Yamcha nodded, his cheeks stuffed full with sandwiches already.

"Oh! I could go for both, Mrs. Briefs! I'm starving! I spent almost a week in the hospital! Also, can you make the éclairs chocolate filled, but not with the same frosting on top? I want-" He shouted, spraying bits of food into the air as everyone flinched back. Bulma shot up from her seat, her face reddened with anger, and screamed, making Puar scrabble back into Yamcha's long, curly hair, as he paused mid sentence and cringed back from her.

"_Really?! How **dare** you! Be lucky we didn't poison your food! Don't talk to my mother like she's a servant! You stupi-"_ Bulma was interrupted, as Launch sneezed again, this time more daintily.

_"Ah..ah..c__huu!"_ She sneezed, distracting everyone a moment, and thankfully making a break in the tension, as she transformed into a blonde again.

"Jeez! **Bless** you, Launch!" Bulma huffed, slightly irritated, but glad for the distraction.

"Gesundheit! Hmm, that's odd, do you typically have an adverse reaction towards Paleozoic pollen?" Dr. Briefs queried, pulling a Q-Tip out of his lab coat to try and take a sample from under her nose. She batted the Q-Tip away, sniffling.

"Stop it, ya crazy old man! How the hell would I know if I'm allergic to somethin' from _that_ freakin' long ago?!" She growled, crossing her arms, then her head quirked up, as if someone had called her name, and to everyone's surprise, her emerald green eyes grew sparkly as she gasped, her hands on her blushing cheeks.

"Huh? It's Raditz! He says he _needs_ me! Ohh, I need you too, you big, gorgeous beast! Wait, what? Vegeta needs Bulma?" She asked aloud, cocking her head with her confusion. Bulma stood quickly, hearing her and Vegeta's names, and looked at Launch with sudden urgency.

"What is it? What's he saying?" She asked, shaking the blonde, before she sniffled, and squeezed her eyes shut, sneezing directly into Bulma's face.

"**BLAH-CHOOO**!"

Bulma flinched, taking a napkin her mother handed to her to wipe her face, as Launch recovered, blowing her nose. Dr. Briefs pulled out a plastic bag and picked up the used tissues with tongs, before quickly stuffing them in the bag and sealing it; taking a sample of Launch's inter-nasal bacteria to analyze the culture, and in turn, determine the cause of her sneezing.

"Oh, the poor dear! She's having an allergy attack!" Bunny said, patting Launch's shoulders as she blinked blearily.

"Launch! What did Raditz say, can you answer him back?" Bulma said, shaking the blue-haired girl with a pinkened nose.

"Bulma, please. Everyone sit, I said. And Launch, no calls during lunch, I know it must be hard to resist such a handsome man, but he will have to_ wait _until we're done." Bunny said scoldingly, and ushered her daughter to sit beside Launch, then she sat beside her husband, across from Master Roshi, Yamcha, Puar and Turtle.

"Heh, heh, sure is a fine day for a picnic!" Master Roshi said, sipping his tea.

"Great tea, Mrs. Briefs! Just delicious!" Turtle said, setting down the cup with a long sigh. She smiled and refilled the cup for the old sea turtle, then sat back and tapped her long nails on her own glass.

"So, tell us, Yamcha... What brings you here? Surely something _urgent_, given the circumstances." She said, not batting an eye as Yamcha stiffened a little at her blunt wording.

"Uhhh... I, uh.." He stuttered, gulping as he wiped his cheek with the sleeve of his leather jacket.

"Hm, yes, _enlighten_ us, boy... Surely during your hospital stay, you did not suffer a concussion? I gave you **strict** orders **not** to enter the premises." Dr. Briefs said, his spectacles glinting as he straightened them on his nose.

"Uh, well... How do I begin...? Well, I fainted from receiving some really bad news. I don't know if you were aware, but...Krillin, Chioutzu and Tien got into a fight with Launch's uh, boyfriend there, Raditz." Yamcha said with a small scowl towards Blue Launch, who flinched in response, her blue tail fluffing behind her.

Everyone looked at Launch, as she blushed brightly.

"Fine, if you must know, yes. My Raditz killed Krillin, in an avalanche. About Tien, he had something... very wrong with him. And Chioutzu, well..." She stifled a sob, her hand to her mouth as she kept her dignity, "He self-imploded as well." She gulped, looking down at the table as all were made silent by the news.

"Oh, I'll be back. I think, m-maybe I will make those cookies after all..." Bunny said, and scampered away quickly, wiping her eyes as she remembered the charming boys who oftentimes came to raid her cupboards, but it was never an issue. She loved to cook for those sweet, polite boys, and Chioutzu was such a great little helper in the kitchen. She sobbed as she ran away, dabbing her eyes with a handkerchief.

"Gosh... I didn't know... I feel like a terrible friend, I had no idea..." Bulma sighed, and her angry expression softened towards Yamcha.

_Chi-Chi's gathering the dragon balls right now to wish back Goku, so unfortunately, they will have to wait. But, I'm afraid Tien is the only one who could possibly be wished back._

"It's ok, B. Really, it had nothing to do with you, so you wouldn't possibly know. It's probably best neither of us was at the battleground." He said, and earned a bitter grimace from Master Roshi. Tien and Krillin _had needed_ Yamcha's assistance, but he'd never shown his face, and if he did, he was plastered.

"Uh-huh...Right.." Bulma nodded, with narrowed eyes, still very suspicious of Yamcha.

"What else? Tell me the full story. I can handle it." She said with a huff, picking up a finger sandwich, and tossing the small sandwich in her mouth. She was starving, she realized, and picked up another, as Yamcha looked down at the table, and sighed.

"Well, I was drinking a lot, since things went bad between us...Turns out, I had severe dehydration and alcohol poisoning. I kicked out Fancy though, just so you know. This happened when I was home alone, and I got the message from you saying it was over. We were together for years, Bulma...You really would break up with me...over _voicemail?" _He said, looking up with a glimmer of tears in his eyes. Bulma crossed her arms and turned her face away, not affected by his sorrowful eyes.

"Well, I'm sorry to hear that, but we're long past those days, Yamcha. I have a new boyfriend, and he's **great**, in fact. He was _there_ for me when I needed him. He would never take _advantage_ of me." She said coldly, biting into her sandwich with a loud crunch, she honestly didn't care if Yamcha knew. She **wanted** him to know she was with Vegeta, even though he didn't even deserve _that._

Looking at Yamcha made her blood go cold; she shuddered from the slimy bandit. She couldn't even look him in the eyes after what he'd done.

"Wow, Bulma. I would have never thought that you could treat me like this... Are you _sleeping_ with that **murderer**?" He seethed, not caring that Dr. Briefs and Master Roshi could hear, but that was quickly amended, as Bulma's father patted Roshi on the shoulder, and gestured towards the fishing pond in order to give his daughter privacy, trusting she would say what needed to be said.

"Care to drop the old sinker and hook, old chap?" He asked, and Roshi agreed, taking Turtle with him.

"Yamcha! Don't talk that way to Bulma!" Puar scolded, tugging on his hair.

"Shoo, get outta here. This is a private conversation." Yamcha snapped, and Puar backed up quickly, flying off angrily.

Launch took her cue and left too, flying up to somewhere private where she could try and get in touch with Raditz once again.

Bulma picked up her tea, after finishing her sandwiches, and sipped, her eyes closed as she thought on if she should even _give_ him the time of day to waste her breath on answering his inappropriate question.

"Answer me, right now, Bulma. Did. You. **Cheat** on me with Vegeta?" Yamcha said lowly, and she felt a spike of rage shoot throughout her entire body. She stood up quickly, her palms flat on the table as she slammed them down with her anger.

"I cannot _believe_ that you would have the sheer audacity to even **ask** me that question, when I saw you, with my very own eyes, kissing that blonde "taxi driver!" If you really have to know, I was attracted to Vegeta after the first time I saw him! He was the first to kiss _me!_ But I _never_ slept with him, not until **after** you and I were broken up!" She screamed, tears falling from her eyes in rivers as he flinched back from her.

Yamcha stood, clenching his fists, shaking, as he glared at Bulma, enraged.

"You **slut!** I _knew_ it, you're absolutely _insane_ to want to be with him! How do you know he won't just kill you when he's done with you, Bulma?!" He growled, and Bulma gasped, her eyes wide.

"I am _not_ a slut! I **love** Vegeta! He has never _once_ hurt me!" She cried out, and covered her face, trying to conceal her angered tears.

"...Excuse me, Yamcha?" A sweet, gentle voice asked in a dulcet tone, and he was startled, looking over to Bunny, to see her holding the hot tray of cookies in her oven mitts.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm quite sure I just heard you call my daughter a 'slut', is that right?" She asked sweetly, and he gulped, not sure how to answer.

"Uhh, well... _she's_ the crazy bitch who slept with _Vegeta!" _He suddenly blurted out, but was quickly silenced.

**-BW-O-O-NG!-**

The metal cookie tray made a firm impact with his face, as Bunny hit him so hard with it, he fell, and an indent of his face could be clearly seen in the metal tray.

"MOM!" Bulma gasped, looking at her with surprise, then down at Yamcha, shocked.

"It's alright, dearie. As for you, Yamcha, I hope dinosaurs chew off your nuts. My Bulma has met the perfect man in Vegeta, he's her prince charming! And she has _every right_ to be intimate with the man she _truly_ loves!" She huffed, her cheeks red, as she kicked away a smashed chocolate chip cookie, and turned away from the twitching Yamcha on the ground.

"Oh, my... Bulma?" Launch called, flying down. Bulma turned, still wiping her eyes.

"Yes?" She asked, sniffling.

"We must go immediately, Vegeta is badly injured, and he needs medical attention right away!" She said, and swooped Bulma right up in her arms, flying with ease out of the dinosaur room.

"Right, let me get a first aid kit, and step on it!" Bulma said, clutching her friend tightly as her heart clenched for Vegeta.

* * *

The long stretch of black obsidian was glossy beneath the stars, as Raditz stared out at it wistfully, his dark eyes sparkling as he recalled that night that Launch had rescued him. The memory was faint due to his injury, but he would never forget the sound of crashing water on the shore, and the long intonation of her voice, as she'd made the Gemini's call to him, confirming that the Celestials had chosen him as her mate. Raditz walked back to the group, his heart fluttering in his chest with his excitement, Launch was coming, and she would finally be able to meet Nappa and Kannon. It was odd, it was almost like introducing her to his parents, but unfortunately, his birth parents were long gone.

"Alright, she's on her way." He announced, walking over to the injured, squatting down where Kannon was fretting over Onioan and Vegeta.

"You hear that, Miss Pinchie? My girl Launch is coming now, she's Half-Saiyan, Half-Gemini, so she can heal them. Don't worry." He said with a grin, as the blue haired woman looked up with large, ruby-pink eyes. He wasn't sure when she'd transformed, he supposed any little pinch, even that of her armour on her skin was enough to make her transform, just as even a tiny sneeze made Launch transform.

Kannon pulled her hands back, where they had been glowing over Onioan's stomach, trying to somehow alter his wounds using her alteration magic, but having little luck. It wasn't that her magic was useless, just finicky on what it could and couldn't alter; alteration required an original source equal to the outcome, and seeing as the original source wasn't prime material, it simply would not work.

"Oh, _fiddlesticks!"_ She sighed, exasperated, "I suppose some things _are_ better left up to the experts." She said, and Onioan chuckled, from where he lay on the ground.

"It's ok, Onioan will feel better later. Can Kannon make more chicken?" He said, pouting a little, and she nodded, feeling around in the dark, then gathering up a pile of obsidian shards as Raditz watched her, hovering her hands over it, and easily transforming it into multiple rotisserie chickens. She grumbled, crossing her arms as multiple Saiyans came over and snatched them up. Nappa tore into one with his teeth, pulling back a large chunk of skin before eagerly gulping it down. "Great cooking, Pinchie!" He said, and she huffed, her nose up in the air.

"That's not cooking! That's just me goin', _Alakazam!_ And_ -_poof!- chicken! Seems to be the only thing I'm good for!"

She huffed, and took one, pushing it into Raditz's hands.

"Oh- I, y-you don't have to share with me, I can eat over at Mrs. Briefs' house." Raditz stuttered, attempting to hand back the chicken with pinkened cheeks.

"Nonsense! I can tell when my boys are hungry! And who is this 'Missus Briefs!?' Are you saying _she's_ a better cook than _me?"_

"N-No, I just... Oh, alright, thank you." He said, then lifted it and bit in, finding with relief it didn't taste, or feel at all like glass like how he was anticipating it would.

_Dr. Briefs would find her abilities very interesting...and perhaps, useful. _He thought, chewing, as he looked for a long moment at Kannon, as she picked at her food and nibbled on it delicately, very slowly. He found it so tedious when people ate that way; particularly humans. As she ate, Raditz smirked, pulling a drumstick stripped of it's meat out from between his teeth, tossing it behind him.

Nappa sat next to the little blue haired woman, watching her much the same Raditz did, only, licking his lips in a much more suggestive way.

"Hey, Pinchie, once this is all wrapped up, you think maybe, we could... uh, _you know_...? Reclaim our bond?" Nappa whispered, looking down at his mate's breasts bulging from her armour.

"Do **what**?" She sneered, turning her face away, and Raditz surmised that if at that moment she had a tail, it would be wagging angrily.

"Nappa, don't you _know_ how babies are made?" Raditz inquired, raising one brow slyly. The big man turned, anger blazing in his eyes.

_"Of **course** I do!" _He roared, a large blue vein bulging from his shining scalp. "...Sure, I would think so... You seem to have made enough attempts in the past with poor Miss Pinchie... about, _oh_... 23, 24 years ago...?" Raditz chuckled, biting into the chicken breast and chewing a large wad as Nappa's eyes widened, connecting the dots in his mind. He turned to look at Kannon quickly, a suspicious glare in his eyes, as she backed up quickly, cowering.

"W-Why're you lookin' at me?" She said meekly, before they all heard the rumbling engine of an earth aircraft.

"_Raaaaditz! Hi! We're heeeerrreee!~ _Oh! Look, there's Vegeta!" A familiar little voice squeaked, as Bulma pulled her aircraft up to the scene, the hover vehicle wobbling a little as Launch's vigorous waving with her unconsciously strong saiyan strength shaking the entire ship.

"Launch! Stop that! We're gonna-" Bulma shouted, and everyone looked up and stared as the plane suddenly made a nose dive, _"Craaaaaassssshhh!"_ Bulma and Launch screamed, but that was quickly remedied, as Nappa and Raditz flew up and caught the ship, turning it upright before slowly lowering it down to the ground.

"Whew! That would have been one doozy of a landing! Thank goodness Raditz saved us!" Launch chirped, quickly running out the plane and planting grateful kisses on his cheeks. Bulma got out of the plane quickly, toting her first aid kit, and ran over to where Vegeta laid unconscious on the ground, and quickly got to work on him. She looked at the blood on his abdomen and gulped, her hand over her mouth.

_Steady breaths. You can do this, Bulma!_

Nappa walked up beside Raditz, smirking as he watched how Raditz became flustered knowing he was watching, and gently pushed her back.

"Launch, Launch, that's enough... I want you to meet my old friend, Nappa. Remember?" He said, gently, and Launch turned to look at Nappa, and both stiffened at meeting eyes, their noses twitching, as their tails took to lashing behind their backs.

"Nappa... won't you introduce yourself?" Raditz said, and gently pushed him towards her. The two jolted in place, and jumped back quickly.

"He _stinks!" _Launch said, pinching her nose, and Nappa bristled back at her.

"You don't smell so good yourself! You smell like a skunk's rear end!" He shouted, and then tensed as Kannon put her hand on his arm. "_Nappa!_ That's not very nice, how is that any way to speak to Raditz's little gal pal here?" She said, and walked closer to shake Launch's hand.

"Hi, I'm Kannon! What's your name?" She said sweetly, and they shook hands daintily. "Hello, nice to meet you, Kannon. My name is Launch!" She said, her eyes upturned, as Kannon reflected the same gesture, before she could answer back, Raditz and Nappa looked quickly between the two, then at each other, startled.

"What are you, some **_sick_** _**copycat?**! _You got some kinda _weird_ fetish, with chicks that look just like your step-mother!" Nappa growled at Raditz, and he balked, shaking his head vehemently.

"I-I didn't know she transformed when I met her! It was just a coincidence!" He sputtered, causing Kannon and Launch to open their eyes. Kannon's cheeks blushed brightly, and she narrowed her shoulders, looking embarrassed.

"Well... um.. This is quite the coinkydink, isn't it? I never thought I would come face-to-face with you ever again." She said, bashfully, and looked up at Nappa. He stepped forward, less wary now that he had gotten used to Launch's scent, and placed both hands on Kannon's arms, looking directly into her nervous eyes.

"Kannon..."

"Oh, _pinch me! _I can't do this!" She cried out, and pinched her own cheek, quickly transforming, to Launch's surprise.

"W-What?! She transforms like I do?!" She said, startled, backing into Raditz.

"Launch, I should have told you before, but I wanted to wait until the right time to say it. Each Saiyan has a distinct scent, and because you and Nappa have the same scent, that can only mean..."

"I'm her father. I always thought... My child perished, but... Here she is, it's gotta be... Kannon, why didn't you _tell_ me she was alive?" Nappa gasped, looking at the now blonde Kannon, whose arms crossed over her chest.

"Cause, I... Didn't know where she was. I'm sorry. If I would have kept her, she would have been used as a sacrifice." She whispered, barely even able to look at anyone, as Launch gasped, falling back onto Raditz with her sheer surprise.

"Is this... this is true?! **You** put me in that orphanage!? _You're_ my mother?" Launch suddenly sobbed out with anger, her fists clenched as Raditz held her back. Launch growled, wriggling, her violet eyes turning crimson with her rage.

"I'm sorry." Kannon said, and turned away, concealing her face in Nappa's armour. He placed one hand on her back, and forced a small smile.

"It's alright, isn't it? Let's let bygones be bygones..." He said, stroking her back, looking up at Launch with surprise at his newfound daughter's apparent strength.

"She's got her mother's fire, wow."

"You haven't _seen_ mean! Just wait til I sneeze, you _just wait,_ mister!" Launch hissed, and Raditz pulled her back, turning her away from the both of them.

"Launch, please. Try to be understanding, these are your _parents! _It may sound odd, but they are.. _our_ parents, technically. Nappa took over for my father.. he... raised me, and Pinchie was a significant part of that, regardless how short, I would like you to set aside your differences, despite the cause... all that matters is the present." He spoke softly, stroking one hand through her hair to try and soothe her, before she began to sob, sniffling.

"I was all alone! She left me to steal on the streets, after I... Ran away from that horrible place!" She sobbed, her shoulders shaking as she buried her face in Raditz's chest. "But, she said she had good reasoning. You would have been sacrificed for being half-saiyan, Launch. They would likely have punished _her_ as well." He said, and held her close.

"You're right, but I just can't suddenly start calling her 'mom', I hope you can understand that." She sniffled, then sneezed, turning her hair blonde.

"Oh, yuck!" Launch exclaimed, wiping the tears from her eyes, and shaking her body like a dog, to the very tip of her tail until it whipped back as she stood up straight, her hands on her hips.

"I hear some of my super awesome healin' powers are needed, just show me where to go!" She said, hiding her previous emotion by putting on a brave face, as she approached Bulma and Vegeta. Bulma was hovering over Vegeta, working hard on cleaning his cuts, with a faint blue, nauseated cast over her face set with determination.

"Bulma? You ok?" Launch asked, as she looked and saw the large saiyan, Onioan sitting there, watching Bulma work with googly eyes, his large hands dangling down haplessly to the ground.

"Yup! I can h-handle a little blood, _no biggie!_ Bulma Briefs is not queasy, _n-nope!_ Not _oooone_ bit!" She said, mainly to convince herself, as she turned and addressed his large stomach wound, holding a surgical stapler.

"Uhhh... you sure you don't need help, Bulma? I can blast some staples into shorty there, it'll be like stress relief!" She said, laughing easily. Bulma still hesitated to use the staple gun, her hands shaking, she shook her head of short hair vigorously.

"No. No way. Vegeta would only want me to do this, thanks, but no thank you, Launch." She said, and grit her teeth, pumping the first staple into his midsection.

"You go, girl..." Launch said, cringing back a little, she shook it off, and looked back to Onioan. "Do you need help, big guy?" She said, and the others returned to help translate for Onioan if need be.

"Hurts here, and here." He said, and gestured to his chest and stomach.

"Heal only the most serious of injuries, Launch. You must be sparing with your power." Raditz said, and nudged her gently forth. Launch knelt as the large saiyan laid down, and placed one hand over his chest wound, closing her eyes.

"That's great, having a healing power. That must be really convenient, is that why you chose her as a mate, Raditz?" Nappa said, and Raditz growled back, offended.

"No! _That's_ _not_ why, Nappa! Really, you-"

"Shuddup, everyone! I gotta concentrate!" Launch snarled, and they shut up, watching with amazement as her hands began to glow golden, and his wounds mended.

"There," She panted, dusting off her hands.

"How do ya feel now?" She said, helping Onioan to sit up. The Saiyan grinned, beating his chest with his fists.

"Onioan feel **strong**! Thanks, pretty lady!" He said, and pulled her close and tried to kiss her cheek, as she squirmed all around. That was quickly amended, as she was pulled away quickly, and set on her feet.

"Oh, thanks, Radi-" She started, before noticing the tall bald man standing beside her. "Uh, thanks, **baldy**." She sneered, and turned away quickly, as his jaw dropped from behind her, offended.

_"B-Baldy!?"_ Nappa gasped, and Raditz defended, "Well, you _are_ bald." He chuckled.

Everyone began to laugh, besides Nappa, before being interrupted by Piccolo, who was not amused at all.

"Sorry to interrupt this heartwarming reunion, but I have a feeling we aren't quite ready to pack up and leave just yet. I'd like a volunteer to come investigate the area with me, I'm sensing something, but I'd like a second pair of eyes, that is, if you aren't **scared**." He said seriously, and Raditz turned, his large smile fading quickly as he addressed Piccolo, "I'll go with you, I have an advanced scouter that can pick up on multiple varieties of energy sources."

Piccolo nodded, turning away, and Raditz paused, pulling Launch towards him.

"I'll be back, Launch. Stay here with Nappa, where it's safe. I love you." He said, unashamed of his public display of affection as he kissed her, before pulling back. Launch blushed, looking down at the ground. "I l-love you too, ya big lunkhead. Come back in one piece." She said, and he smiled. "Don't worry, I will."

Then, he took off with the Namekian, into the darkness of the everlasting night, lit only by the stars, and the green glow of his scouter.

* * *

It was quiet inside the small, spherical home, as outside, everyone still was occupied, chasing Gregory, while Goku remained in limbo; his body not yet ready to be resurrected, as he was transported to the Darkness, where his love, Chi-Chi resided, and his son, Gohan.

He watched, as his dream self walked over, eying the white sphere, lodged snugly in the earth, over a ravine, not far from where he had actually fallen. But, in this reality; he had not fallen and hit his head. Goku was the saiyan he was meant to be, one that had already completed his mission on Earth, and lived a long, violent life of purging, war and darkness. Now, he had returned on a mission, as he picked up the pod easily, and peered in at the child inside.

The boy had black hair, though slightly flat, it had varying spikes typical of a saiyan. His skin was pale, snow white practically, like the beautiful female who claimed he and her had _made_ this child. Then, that was it, as Kakarot's eyes widened. A brown tail, cradled between his hands as he sucked on it for comfort in his sleep.

_He **is** a Saiyan child! _Kakarot thought, as he pulled the pod out fully, and set it on the ground to examine the child with his scouter.

**Battle Power: 3.**

"**Three**?!" Kakarot growled, "My son is only a _three_ in battle power?!" He snarled, kicking the pod, then huffed.

_I suppose that's fine... I was only a 2. _He grimaced, and picked up the pod, reluctantly. He hoped the female would reward him with 'playtime' like she'd said, once he returned their child. Kakarot smirked, hefting the ship onto his shoulder, and walking over slowly. He sniffed, curious, as he came over the hill, and to the clearing where the woman was sitting tensely, her hands clasped before her muddy garments as she glanced around the darkness, with wet, black eyes, like a frightened rabbit. Her inky black hair was midnight blue under the moonlight, as she gulped and tried to sense out his presence; visibly nervous.

Kakarot stepped up into the clearing, and her face turned quickly, overjoyed to see him with the pod.

"Oh! Thank goodness you're back! How is he? Is my Gohan alright?!" She said excitedly, almost a little too loud as he flinched from her exuberance, and shushed her with one finger on his lips.

"Shh, the boy is sleeping. Let's let him rest, for now, shall we?" He whispered, a hint of a purr in his tone as he set down the pod, not noticing the same number in bold on it as his own, as he set it beside the other.

"Y-Yes, I'm sure it's past Gohan's bedtime, anyways." She said, with a shiver, her teeth clicking together. Kakarot eyed her, and frowned, smelling mainly mud, and sweat on the female. He squatted down, and inspected her, looking at her ankles that had pink coverings over them, covered in mud.

"Strip." He said calmly, watching with a smirk as the female gasped, offended.

"I will not! I don't take commands like a dog, you-you, _dog!" _She stuttered, blushing brightly.

"Remove these soiled garments, and I can assess your injury. You aren't scared of me, are you?" He said slyly, gauging her reaction. Chi-Chi huffed, and snarled back, "**Scared**?! _As if!_ I am not scared of you, no matter how scary you try to act!" She huffed, and quickly began wriggling to get out of her pants, pulling them down her hips, and off her long, pale legs, which she quickly squeezed together for modesty, as he took the more swollen looking ankle, and inspected it, attempting to move her ankle carefully as she winced, testing her range of motion.

"Seems you're correct. You've torn a ligament. That's alright though, I have something for that." He said, smirking, and pulled back his sleeve, revealing the black bracer underneath. Chi-Chi watched, intrigued, as he pulled a syringe out, and pumped it once. Her eyes widened, shocked.

"A... a _syringe?_ You **hate** needles!" She gasped, as he looked back, confused.

"I do?" He said, with a tilt of his head very revealing of his true nature, and Chi-Chi laughed.

"Oh, don't play dumb with me, Goku! Whoops, I mean 'Kakarot'! You're deathly afraid of needles!" She snickered, laughing at him as he looked at the needle. Something in him, somewhere deep inside, did feel slightly wary of the needle, but he'd been using injections for years, they were supplied by the PTO, and had many useful purposes.

"Hm. Well, I'm not now." He simply said, then grasped her leg to hold it still, as she gasped. "Now, don't move, this will be over quickly." He said, and pushed the plunger into the soft flesh behind her tendon, until the syringe was emptied, then pulled it back, and crushed it in his hand.

"There, give that a few moments to work. Don't move, I'm going to make a fire." He said, sternly, and Chi-Chi nodded, watching him owlishly, practically gawking as he walked away.

_Goku's not afraid of needles anymore?_

...

It wasn't long later, her 'Kakarot' had come back, toting a large bundle of sticks under one arm, and a dead animal under the other. She watched, not moving, as he set up the sticks in order to make a fire, glancing back at her briefly as he sensed her eyes on him.

"How's the injury? It should be feeling better now. Why don't you try standing?" He said, placing a stick down, as he watched her get up, wobbling, then try to get her bearings, the purple cheongsam dress she wore covering her entire upper body, but not her toned, pale legs as she stood.

"Hey! It doesn't hurt anymore!" She said happily, and smiled at him.

"Where did you get that stuff?" She asked, as Kakarot lit one finger with a small, yet hot ball of ki, and held it over the dried leaves and grass he'd bundled at the center, lighting it. He sat back, and decided to entertain the female for a bit, pulling the dead deer over his knee, and beginning to clean it, as she sat back down.

"The injection I gave you was made from my own stem cells. I'm supposed to be the only person that uses it, but seeing as we're mated, that shouldn't matter." He said cooly, pulling off a large strip of hide.

"S-stem cells?" She inquired nervously, blinking.

"Yes, don't you know? A small sample was taken from my brain stem. But you already share my DNA, this isn't an _issue_, is it?" He said, his voice low as if curling into a growl, and she shook her head quickly.

"No! Of course not, sweetie. Thank you. I feel so much better." Chi-Chi said, her heart racing. _So it **is** true! Korin was right, I'm part Saiyan now! And he's just made me even **more** Saiyan! How did Goku know this whole time, and never told me?_

"That's good, I don't want my female becoming weak, now." He said, easily breaking one of the deer's bones, as he stripped it's skin away from the muscle.

"Oh, I'm not weak! I've been training! You're not going to believe what I did! I climbed Korin tower in 2 1/2 days! Isn't that funny! It took you three days!" She said giddily, watching his expression as he pressed his brows together for a long moment, then laughed.

"Good job, Cheech! I'm proud of you!" He chirped out in an odd voice, then clapped one hand over his mouth, looking away with widened eyes.

_What the hell? That wasn't **me** talking!_

"Oh, Goku... I've missed you." She said softly, the woman seemed pleased by this, as he turned back around quickly to eye her, and gulped. He watched as she plucked at the yellow tie on her dress, and undid it, his eyes widening even larger.

"I... I missed you too, Chi-Chi..." He whispered, his voice melding with that other voice, that knew her name, as he watched her undo the next tie.

"I'm so dirty, I need a bath." She said coyly, and he would have sworn there was a ding on his codpiece as she said those words, so seductively. Chi-Chi giggled, holding her dress closed with just her hands as she stood. "I'll be back, then we can eat?" She said, and he nodded quickly.

"Yes, I'll cook this right away, then we'll _eat_..." He said quickly, licking his lips. He thought quickly, and smirked to himself with his wise idea.

"Here," He said, and reached inside his breastplate, pulling out a small, round object like a pill. "There should be clean clothes in here for a female. I'm sure you'll find something to your liking." He said with a grin, as Chi-Chi took the capsule, and looked at it oddly.

"Oh, you didn't have to..." She said, her heart racing as she felt very odd, holding this capsule in her hand.

"It's no problem, they were free." He said with a laugh, and turned his head, a loud tearing sound coming from the deer, as he dismantled its body. A shiver went down Chi-Chi's spine, as she clutched the capsule tightly in her hand, staring at the back of his head, as if trying to stare holes in his skull.

_They were **free**? What does he mean, 'free'? He stole them somehow...? Not my Goku. He would **never** steal!_

"Are you _refusing_ my gift?" He asked, not looking back, as he licked blood off his fingers.

"N-No! Don't be silly, hehe..." Chi-Chi stuttered, backing away. She ran to the nearest river, where she remembered seeing it earlier, heart pounding in her chest as if she were being chased. She felt frightened, thrilled, and confused all at once, as she dropped her dress, and peeled off the pink undershirt, her skin prickling with goosebumps as she looked at the capsule one last time, then set it on her clothes so she wouldn't lose it.

...

Kakarot hung the deer up on the spit to cook, then stood, stretching as he waited for the little woman to come back, thinking eagerly of how she would look once wearing the garments he'd acquired, from the rich heiress who's house he'd robbed. He began stripping away his armour, pulling out the many items and tools he kept safe in his armour, for whatever missions he was on.

He pulled out the round, green object that he'd taken from the blue-haired woman, whom he'd befriended as a child in order to gain her technological skills. You see, Kakarot had infiltrated Earthling society, in his mission to appease his superiors. He would have purged them right away, if it were in his best interest, but it was not, as he quickly found out after meeting Bulma Briefs.

Kakarot did not kill her, no, he had taken everything useful to him, and given her to Prince Vegeta as a gift, the rest of her people he had slaughtered. All in his mission, to capture the dragon balls, as he smirked, turning on the Radar. And what do you know, 3 dragon balls were right here, right under his nose. His sweet little wife had gathered them for him, and one was lying on his son's lap.

_"Oh,_ _Kakarot~" _She cooed sweetly, and he stashed the radar away inside his breastplate quickly, turning to meet her with eager eyes. Chi-Chi walked up to him slowly, smirking as she walked, wearing a similar type of dress that she had on before, but this one was forest green, and not bulky at all, it was sleek like silk, revealing her firm nipples, as his eyes took her in, and travelled down her stockinged legs, with bare feet, as she tossed her heels aside.

"Well, I have to say, I just _love_ the clothes, but I couldn't find any sensible shoes. You know I don't wear these silly things!" She teased, tossing a shoe at him which he quickly caught, looking at it oddly, then tossing it over his shoulder.

"Who said you needed shoes? Your feet won't be _touching_ the ground tonight." He purred, smirking devilishly, watching the woman slink forward.

"_Oh?_ Mmm, that smells good.." She said, as her belly growled loudly, she giggled, blushing as he turned away to tend to the meat, pulling away a leg off the deer easily.

"Well, come here and eat then, before the meat gets tough." He said, and took a large bite into it, tearing the meat away with no consideration of manners, but Chi-Chi was used to his lack of dinner table etiquette, as she came closer, and he tore off the soft backstrip for her to eat, while he would eat the less savory parts. Chi-Chi picked the ribs up in her hands, and tore in eagerly, not waiting to say grace, as she felt an odd hunger making it hard for her to keep her manners.

"Ah, that was good." Chi-Chi said, wiping her mouth, as he tossed the bones in the fire, then rested back on his elbows and rolled his eyes onto her slyly, licking his lips. "Come closer, and sit on my lap." He said, as Chi-Chi's head popped up, her eyes wide with surprise.

"What? Oh, I'm too full. I couldn't possibly." She said quickly, diverting her eyes. Kakarot curled his lip back, feeling offended, he'd cared for this female, fed her, clothed her, and got nothing in return?

"I wasn't _asking_ a question, Chi-Chi. You said, I'd get yo-_our_ son, then we could play later. Well, I've gotten him, and now I want to 'play'." He snarled, trying his best not to become enraged with this girl, but it was his understanding that they had a deal, and she was _**clearly** teasing him!_

"_Sheesh_, you really are laying this whole "space pirate" act on thick, aren't you? Well, what do you want me to be? The food sample lady like before? Or the cocktail waitress?" She asked, flicking her bangs out of her face with a long sigh. Goku was very attracted to women that gave him food.

"Huh? Uh... Just be yourself, I guess?" He said, one eyebrow raised. Chi-Chi looked at him, startled, then put her hands on her cheeks, blushing.

"Ohh! You! You big _sweetheart!" _She said, and stood, walking over to him, and sitting right on his lap, where he wore little but the black shorts that went under his armour. Kakarot smiled, and held her hip, as she rested her head on his chest and sighed. "I love you.." She whispered, and he froze up, feeling conflicted by the words. Something in him was repeating it back, he felt a warm feeling in his chest, and was tempted to say it, but the other half of him was thinking in a more... _primitive_ fashion.

He moved his nose down, and sniffed her neck, as Chi-Chi giggled, cringing back from the tickling sensation. "S-Stop!" She giggled, and nearly fell as he sniffed and nibbled her ear. Kakarot moved quickly, kissing down her neck, squeezing her round hip, and feeling down her thick thigh, one hand stroking up to the juncture there.

Chi-Chi moaned softly, and he stroked there again, as her hands suddenly latched around his neck, and she was kissing him, he fell back, growling in his throat as the woman took over, her hands stroking up and down his chest, his abdomen, as she sat back and teased him with her hips, he opened his eyes a slit, and they widened, seeing a pink ring of teeth marks glowing on her pale thigh. He took a sharp intake of breath, and touched it, which made her moan out loudly, to his pleased surprise.

_This must be where I marked her, why don't I remember?_ Kakarot thought, making circles on the mark, which drove her nearly to losing her mind, before he quickly retracted his hand, and moved over her, pulling away the lacy garment she wore with a loud tear, ill concealing her arousal, as Kakarot readied himself, quickly removing his shorts, and propped himself up on the ground with one hand, sliding himself into her with ease; finding with pleasure, the woman was already ready for him.

_"Ah__! Kakarot!"_ She gasped, wrapping her legs around him, as he moved to grip her backside, sinking himself deeper, growling into her throat as he made her his mate again, his tail curling, then wrapping around one thigh, as he held the other spread with one hand, and arched his hips down to her. He was fervently plunging into her hot depths over and over, panting as Chi-Chi gripped his shoulders, and bit into his throat, once again resealing their bond, as a small voice called, from very far away, _Hey, Chi-Chi! This is Yajirobe! You've been in the darkness too long, don't forget! You need to come back!_

_"Yes, yes, oh! Kakarot!"_ She cried out, ignoring the voice, and he growled, the moonlight on his flexing back shining, and making his primal blood throb, as he remembered at last; the night he had marked her was a full moon, as his eyes grew crimson, and fangs protruded from his bared teeth as he snarled, tearing away her dress away with one hand to bare her chest, and sinking his teeth into one large, jostling breast, as they were fully interconnected, joining in harmony once again.

_Chi-Chi... This isn't me! I'm... going to hurt her! _Goku gasped, but he couldn't stop himself, him and Kakarot were one in the same, and his attraction for Chi-Chi was surely his downfall now, as he was now taking her forcefully as Kakarot.

Chi-Chi cried, nearly blinded from her pleasure, tears rolling down her face as she moaned, and scratched long, deep scratches in his back, making him arch his back and growl, before he quickly moved to turn her around. Chi-Chi moved under his grip and raised her backside wantonly into the air, presenting herself by spreading her legs as she watched him approaching, sobbing onto the soil as he pulled her hips to insert his thick, wet shaft again, and sunk back into her deeply, almost painfully.

_I'm sorry Chi... I can't stop... _Goku grunted, looking down, from Kakarot's eyes as the other him enjoyed watching himself being sheathed by her, again and again like a glove.

Chi-Chi cried out, and looked up at the moon, her vision going blurry as he mounted her roughly, she couldn't help but gaze, and be mesmerized, staring for such a long time she didn't take note of the fluid running from her, and down his thighs, shining with a slick sheen in the moonlight as he held her by her breasts and thrust up, holding her around the waist with his tail.

_Don't look at the moon, I **can't** look at the moon_, Goku thought, squeezing his and Kakarot's eyes shut, as he focused on the warm feelings surrounding him, and Chi-Chi's pleasure, as he moved slower, licking her throat, as he thrusted long and hard, nearly fully removing himself, before plunging back up.

Chi-Chi's eyes were faintly becoming russet in the moonlight, as she tossed her head back onto his shoulder, and held onto his neck for support, her body completely bared to the moonlight, the indecent acts they were doing, easily visible in the pink glass of the pod if Gohan were to open his eyes.

_Chi-Chi, I'm so sorry... I love you... _Goku thought, wrapping the other's arms around her in a hug, reassuring her he was there, comforting her.

But, it was much too late, as Kakarot bit down into her throat, and pulled her down firmly by her hips, over the swell of his girth, and to the base, as she mewled out with pleasure, feeling him pressing firmly to her cervix, and thrusting up, as if he intended to penetrate it, too. She screamed out loud, in a mix of pain and pleasure, as he invaded her womb, fully connecting them.

_Chi-Chi!_

An animalistic growl rumbled in his chest, and he squeezed her hips firmly, cementing their bond by filling her womb with his seed, until it's heat was dripping down her, and onto the ground, and Chi-Chi fell face forward, her eyes rolled back with pleasure, as she laid limp and sated, and Kakarot knelt behind her, stroking himself to her body, until he was also satisfied, and curled up behind her to keep her warm, purring.

* * *

"This is not good," The white cat said, as he and Kami looked up at the sky, watching the planets as they loomed above ominously, glowing red and blue in the star speckled sky.

"If Vulcane is truly dead, the planets _should_ have left this atmosphere, but they have not; the Guardian of Ryokama still waits to be released, I can hear his cries, he is tormented. They _must_ find the heart of the Gemini, and pierce it, that is what he's told me." Kami said, leaning on his staff with exertion, as the strain of communication with the other elder took its toll.

"Oh Kami, you must not tire yourself! Piccolo is searching for the remains now as we speak, he has communicated with Kami and the Guardian as well. Korin, might you have a senzu bean?" Mr. Popo inquired carefully, holding his master up.

"Yes, I came prepared." He said, and handed Mr. Popo a bean out of the fur on his chest. He sighed as Kami took the bean, and slowly recovered, gently pushing Mr. Popo away.

"I'm afraid the reason why I am suffering potentially has to do with Piccolo. He _must_ be careful to watch his energy is not sapped, for wherever Vulcane is lurking, he is searching for an energy source that will be strong enough to give him life once again."

The others nodded, and looked away from the sky. "What of this woman you've told us of, Chi-Chi Mao? You say she is gathering the dragon balls for Goku's return?" Mr. Popo said, and Korin nodded.

"Yes, she is incredibly strong for a human woman. I believe that the small streak of Saiyan blood running through her veins has given her inherent powers an extraordinary multiplicative effect. If I am correct, once she drinks the Ultra-Divine water, she will be so strong, she will display superhuman abilities, and senses." Korin said, sighing.

"_Amazing!_ Surely, we can trust _her_ with the dragon balls, right Kami?" Mr. Popo said, grinning. The elder Namekian closed his eyes, not answering for a moment.

"Perhaps. But she must overcome The Darkness first. _Her_ Darkness, or else it will swallow her up whole, that, and her little boy too. They are all lost there, I sense the emptiness in Son Gohan's body, he has forgotten time, and place, and now, he too, shall face the Trials of Darkness."

"I had Yajirobe call down to her, is that not enough...?" Korin said, suddenly anxious for the woman, who even though had previously been nothing but a nuisance, he had grown fond of her, and admired her bravery, and determination.

"That is up to Chi-Chi, I'm afraid. I am sorry, Korin." Kami said softly, and Korin shook his head, batting his tail back and forth.

"I don't believe you! I believe in Chi-Chi! She will be the new savior of Earth!" He growled out, and felt himself becoming frustrated.

_You'd better pull out of this soon, I don't put my hopes on just anyone! Goku is counting on you, Chi-Chi!_

* * *

Bulma smiled, and thanked the Saiyans, waving goodbye as Vegeta was loaded into the back of the plane, and the doors closed. She looked back at him from the front seat and smiled, turning the key in the ignition.

"Well, all aboard! Get ready for takeoff, Vegeta, I'm taking you home!" She said sweetly, watching his unresponsive face, and feeling a bittersweet feeling of both affection, and pain. It hurt to see him this way, but she knew he would pull through. Her Vegeta was once of the strongest people she knew, both mentally, and physically.

The plane lifted, and sped off into the sky, as she carried her precious cargo, and bit her bottom lip, thinking about the time crunch on her graduation. It was at the most inopportune time, coming up this weekend. She hoped Vegeta would be healed up by then, she was counting on him to do the presentation with the gravity simulator. She had run it by him a while ago, and he'd agreed instantly, he had no qualms against using the gravity machine again. Bulma only hoped that he would be in good enough shape to do so.

_Knowing Saiyans, he'll wake up **twice** as strong as before! _She thought, and smiled, feeling confident as she flew over East City.

* * *

They knew by the metallic taste in the air, that left an unpleasant taste on the palate, that they were close to the impact site; where Vegeta had burned through the obsidian of the cliffside, turning all into black sand, as Piccolo and Raditz approached the opening from the Galick Gun. As Raditz looked up at it, he was amazed by the massive opening Vegeta had made in the cliffside, that went on for miles into the earth, tunneling Vulcane deeper, and deeper. Piccolo paused at the opening, leaning there a second, as Raditz watched him, discreetly eyeing his fluctuating power level.

"Piccolo... are you _sure_ you will be alright?" He asked tensely, hesitating to touch the Namekian as he sweated at the entrance.

"Yes, I'm _fine!_ Let's **go**!" He growled out, and turned away sharply, his white cloak whipping on the cold air of night, where, as they entered, the earth felt warm.

Raditz nodded, swallowing down his concerns, and followed behind.


	30. Take Comfort By Touch

The cold, ever encompassing darkness that had fallen over the Earth had put all into a timeless sleep, as the night lingered on in the dense brush of the forest. A brisk wind scraped through the trees, and ruffled the leaves, making them scatter and fall, almost with an odd, whistling melody. In the darkness, a faint, flickering light like a heartbeat was beginning to emanate from within a dark cave, nestled deep in the sheer cliffside. Some time ago now, it had been disturbed by an intense battle that destroyed the mountain; leaving nothing but a sharp outcrop like a spike where the center had been revealed, and a surface that had not been exposed to the outside air in many an age. The soil, and the trilobite fossils in it, revealed that the earth within the cave perhaps predated back to as early as the Permian Age.

Gohan lie not far away, at the base of the much larger Mount Paozu, his eyes shut as his body clung to life, even as the blood that had dripped from his mouth had now dried and blackened, and insects crawled over his flesh searching for an opening to eat through. There was a tremor, then an odd violet glow emanating from the cave beyond, which began to pulse, and throb with each deep crack that it made, as a large millipede crawled away from the shaking ivory obstruction, and curled into a ball.

Sometime, long, long ago, an egg had been laid in this very spot...but, it had never hatched...until now, it had been silently incubating in peace. The bluish being inside was curled in the fetal position, as the glowing veins around it flashed, and it's body jerked awake. The egg was large, and covered by dried green slime, as it trembled, and a crack opened up in its side, where black claws had punctured the shell. Green slime oozed out of the crevasse, along with the shiny skinned hand that was pulling and breaking away segments of the egg, and birthing itself. The exposure to the air, and just the right conditions were what this being needed to hatch; as the egg shell crumbled, and slime dripped down the lip of the cave. It shuddered, gasping for breath as it found it's bearings, and clawed its way out of its birthplace.

"At last! I am free! My centuries of sleep are now at an end, and I shall search for something to quench my thirst..." A silken voice whispered, soft and reedy, like the low intonation of a wind instrument. The being crawled from the cave, and out into the open, standing. All that could be seen was it's glossy, ribbed skin that still was slick from embryonic fluid, and sparkles, that had an odd teal green cast, as the creature began to walk carefully through the forest, sniffing, licking it's shiny, white fangs with a purple tongue.

"Thirsty... I am, so thirsty..." It rasped, as it came upon the base of Mount Paozu, and found the small pond beneath the rushing waterfall. "Water..." It breathed, and stepped toward it, squatting down on it's haunches, and licking with its purple tongue, before submerging its jaw, and gulping down the water in large swallows, dark eyelids lowering and closing as it drank heavily of the refeshing, cold water. Long antennae came from the creature's brow, and dipped before it's eyes, as the hatchling drank. It pulled back with a hiss, and licked it's purple lips, looking around at it's current surroundings.

"Where am I...? Ārthgeä?" The creature slightly trilled, as it looked up at the sky.

"Ryokama... and Nyosana? They have descended into this atmosphere!" It gasped, then looked around again, swiping it's cat-like, green irises around the ground. They landed upon a faint, pale object far off in the overgrown grass, and the creature tilted it's head, purring querulously. It's wet, clawed feet with pink soles made their way up off the shore, and towards the object.

A shadow loomed over Gohan's silent body, then squatted, and looked intently at his twisted neck with interest.

"A dead Saiyan?" It trilled, and trailed it's long fingers down the spires of his spine bulging, yet not perforating his neck. A black claw tickled down his throat, and he gulped, making the creature jump slightly.

"Curious... Not quite dead, but very close." It mused, then carefully picked up Gohan, holding him against a voluminous, shiny bosom, as the female alien cradled him against her chest, and tenderly stroked a loose strand of hair back from his brow with a long, curved claw.

"This is a most interesting discovery..." She whispered, then turned back around, and returned to the dark cavern where she had been hatched.

* * *

The low rumble of her hover plane was soft enough as not to wake him, as Bulma flew Vegeta home to Capsule Corporations. The yellow plane made its long trip over East City, and finally towards home, West City. She left the dark city behind her, with a knitted brow as she bit her lip, concerned for the safety of her friends, but also too concerned for Vegeta's state to just leave him on the battlefield. He had not stirred at all, nor even moved when she had stapled the sword wound in his abdomen.

Bulma had to admit she dearly missed the sound of his voice, even if he was screaming, she would rather hear him ranting and raving about going back to the battlefield, instead of this dead silence that made her heart twist inside. She put the plane on autopilot, and reached back for his hand, watching his face for movement as she held his heavy, slightly cold hand in her small, warm ones. She stroked his tattered glove, blinking away her tears as she remembered the first time that she had ever 'held hands' with him, and not in the conventional sense. It was when he returned back from fighting the Gemini from before, and she had attempted to drag him into the house, and he'd let her, just out of curiosity, and to make Yamcha jealous. But Bulma remembered, Vegeta had let their hands linger just a moment, before pulling away. Bulma squeezed his hand, and stifled a sob.

"Don't worry, Vegeta... we're almost home, then you can yell at me and tell me I'm a foolish woman... I'd rather have that than this quiet, I feel like I'm gonna go crazy..." She sobbed, as she squeezed his hand harder and rested her head on his chest, pressing her ear up against his broken armour to be sure she could hear his heartbeat. She heard the heavy throbbing, not unlike her own, but it was a deeper, more heavy thudding sound, and a soft rumbling, that made her sit up quickly and stare at his face, hiccuping back her sobs as he stirred.

"Stop your... blathering... and man the ship, foolish woman.." He rasped, and Bulma laughed, her tears falling as he turned his face just slightly and gave her a pained smile. Bulma patted his hand and nodded quickly, as Vegeta tried his hardest to keep his eyes open, his vision blurring and doubling; but he felt his heart freeze when he saw her wearing his armour, her hair, cut short. _She looks... magnificent. _He thought, smiling weakly, then closed his eyes again, as Bulma maneuvered the ship down towards the Capsule Corps. landing pad.

Bulma wiped her eyes dry, as she looked out the window and saw her mother standing on the lawn, waving enthusiastically, her pink robe fluttering on the whipping air. She shut down the hovercraft, and opened the door, hiding her hurt with a smile as Bunny ran up to the plane, frantically asking questions a mile a minute.

_"Where's Veggie? Oh, Bulma! Is everything ok? What happened? Did Vegeta take off to go fight again?"_ She asked quickly, and Bulma simply nodded, and told her to call the doctor, and quickly. She sat in the ship and waited, for what seemed like ages, but it truly wasn't that long until they came, and strapped him to a gurney, then wheeled him quickly inside, as Bulma and Bunny followed anxiously to the medical wing, and they wheeled him into surgery, quickly affixing an oxygen mask to his face.

_"Oxygen!" _The nurses barked out his status, "Injecting general anesthesia..." Bulma looked away as they prepped a needle to go into his forearm, one nurse running in a cooler of back up blood bags and fluids to the IV, before quickly going to set it up, the blood running down the tube. Nausea rolled through her stomach, and she looked away, squeezing her eyes shut against her mother's shoulder. A few minutes passed, as they ran tests and fretted over Vegeta's condition, then Bulma looked up quickly, gulping.

"He's ready for surgery, doctor."

"Scissors," The doctor said, and a nurse handed him a pair; in order to cut away the fabric of his bodysuit, and expose the abrasions and surface wounds that Vegeta had suffered in his battle with Vulcane. Bulma gasped, her fist to her mouth, watching with wide eyes as they examined the staples in his abdomen.

"Good work Ms. Briefs, if you hadn't closed the wound quickly like you did, he may not have made it to the medical wing." The doctor said, and Bulma nodded, clutching her mother tightly as they looked on with tear-filled eyes.

"Now, we will have to reopen the wound to check for any fragments of the sword you say he was stabbed with, and assess damage to his internal organs. For this, we must ask that you leave the room."

Bulma nodded, looking away as they wiped his abdomen clean with dark orange iodine.

"Pliers."

The doctor was handed a small, shiny pair of pliers to remove the staples with. Bulma gulped, looking away.

"Wait! Um, I know this sounds weird, but if you find any pieces of metal, could you please bag them up for me? For research?" She asked hesitantly, biting her nails, and a nurse nodded to her, smiling with reassurance.

"Of course, Ms. Briefs."

There was a metallic clink, as the first bloody staple was dropped in a metal tub.

"T-Thank you..." Bulma whispered, and began to leave the room.

"Wait, Bulma?" One of the nurses said, and she turned, blinking, as the auburn haired neko-mimi closed the door behind her, holding a small, brown paper bag.

"Hi Miyuki, what is it?"

"About your big friend there, Raditz? Make sure to thank him for the large blood donation he gave... If he and this one are friends, I'm sure he would like to thank Raditz, you know?" She said sweetly, and Bulma nodded, feeling slightly doubtful.

"Y-Yeah, I'll... tell him."

"Also, I wasn't able to get in contact with Launch again, but we have received some _interesting_ results from the blood pathology... It happened early on in her pregnancy, so it was difficult for us to tell, but we believe Launch was pregnant with twins. Was she aware?" The nurse asked hesitantly, and Bulma shook her head.

"No... Not that I know of..." She shivered, as Miyuki lowered her eyes, and handed her a small, unmarked urn from out of the bag.

"W-What is this?" Bulma gasped, and looked into Miyuki's large, mournful blue eyes.

"Well, we would like to express our condolences with this small token of remembrance, perhaps you can tell her better than I, but... we found evidence that indicates something very _unfortunate_ happened to Launch before she came here. An extremely rare event named _Vanishing Twin Syndrome_, which is where one embryo has absorbed the other.

This is why she had the symptoms of a miscarriage, and an afterbirth, but _no visible_ stillbirth... the perforation in her uterine lining was from the other fetus... bursting through, into her other uterus in order to... eat the other." Miyuki said in a trembling voice, and Bulma hugged her, suddenly sobbing, then Bunny joining in as the women all cried for Launch's loss. Bulma had no idea how she could explain this to Launch, or how, but she knew that she would be devastated.

"Wait.. before you go, I have just one more thing to say. Please tell her, so that she can inform the father. The tests have told us that the father of the deceased was our past patient, Tien Shinhan." She said softly, handing Bulma the paperwork, as Bulma cradled the tiny urn to her chest, and shook her head back and forth, attempting to hold back her sorrow.

"He's.. no longer... with us." She managed to choke out, and Miyuki gasped, before hugging her again, "Tell Launch that all of us at East Medical send our regards, for both her, and loss." Miyuki said softly, and Bulma nodded.

"Um, I need to get back in there, I'll see you this weekend?" Miyuki said, as Bulma nodded. "Yes, and don't forget to bring a date." She said huskily, and walked away to go sit down, as her mother rubbed her back, and spoke sweet nothings into her ear to comfort her.

...

"Miss Briefs?" a voice called, and both Bulma and Bunny's heads popped up from where they had been snoozing against eachother, and the nurse chuckled softly.

"The patient's surgery was a success. He's resting now. He should be on bed rest for a few weeks, after the rough shape he was in." The doctor said, and Bulma had to hold back her laughter, _**Right**. You just try and keep him in bed that long!_ She giggled softly, then yawned, stretching her arms out over her head, then looking over and realizing she was still wearing that silly armour.

"Can you have him transferred to room #6 on the second floor?" Bunny whispered, and showed them to the elevator, as Bulma lingered there in the infirmary just a moment, wandering back into the room, and watching as they emptied out with Vegeta in tow. Bulma stood and stared at the small tray left in the room, with the bloody instruments on it. She wasn't sure how long she was standing there, in a daze, until she felt a hand resting on her shoulder.

"Don't you think it's time you left, dear?" Her father said softly, and Bulma jumped a little, "Oh! Daddy..." She whimpered, and he put one arm around her back, and nudged her to walk with him.

"Come along, let's get you to your room." He said softly, and she rested her head against her father, softly sniffling as he walked her to the elevator and it closed behind them.

* * *

A low muttering sound woke Chi-Chi, as she slowly blinked, her eyes adjusting to the light of dawn. A warmth was hot on her back, as the forearm around her waist squeezed tighter, and she heard the muttering again.

"No... I don't... remember..." It was the man sleeping behind her talking in his sleep, as Chi-Chi rolled over to face him; pulling up the blue fur blanket covering their bare bodies.

"I'm not... you... Gohan!" Kakarot suddenly shouted, his eyes flying open, as Chi-Chi clapped her hand over his panting mouth to quiet him, then peeked over at Gohan, who was still sleeping soundly in the pod.

"Shh! He's still sleeping." She whispered, then cuddled up against him, resting her head against his chest.

"Oh, right... heh.. guess I forgot," Kakarot said in a more Goku-like fashion, and Chi-Chi raised one eyebrow, and a small smile made her cheeks pinken, as he stroked one hand down her back and squeezed her bottom.

"There's still time before he wakes up..." He said more gruffly, and Chi-Chi giggled, looking back to make sure Gohan's eyes were closed, before he moved quickly over her, and began placing kisses on her throat. "Kakarot..." She whispered, and fell helpless to her passion, as she found herself lost in his arms once again.

...

The Goku sleeping on the couch at King Kai's groaned, one hand twitching as the others looked over at him from where they'd been eating breakfast, and watching King Kai's favorite early morning comedy show.

"Chi-Chi..." He groaned, then made an odd sound like a growl, and everyone stopped their loud crunching on their cereal for a moment to listen in.

"Uh, guys?" Krillin said, gulping as his eyes quickly moved back up to Goku's face, and gave Tien a knowing look, raising his thick eyebrows. Tien glanced over quickly, then slapped a hand over all three eyes.

"_Jeez!_ I didn't need to see **that**!" He groaned, shaking his head, as Chiaotzu's eyes seemed even wider, and his face paler as his head blocked King Kai from seeing what had everyone regretting looking at Goku's lower half.

"What? What's everyone all staring at?" King Kai blurted out, then his face paled as Chiaotzu moved his big head out of the way.

"You boys have some _serious issues!"_ He sputtered, and they all laughed, turning away and dismissing the fairly obvious tent in Goku's orange pants.

"Guess he must be having a hot dream about Chi-Chi!" Krillin laughed, and Tien joined him, "That must be it! Haha!" Then Chiaotzu blinked, and frowned back.

"Maybe he's more alert than we _thought_, boys. All joking aside, there's many things we do not know about death, and how he could be travelling to the world _beyond_. We should leave him be, I'm afraid any interference here with his current state, could potentially alter him **permanently**." King Kai said sternly, and everyone grew sober.

"You mean, maybe he_ isn't_ just having a dream?" Krillin said, and King Kai nodded.

"Yes, perhaps he's on another plane of existence, where he's been ..._reunited_ with his wife." He said, then cleared his throat.

"Wouldn't that be funny? Or maybe it is after all, just a little bit of 'rigor mortis!' " King Kai giggled, and Tien shook his head, scowling.

"You know, you really had us going for a minute there, then you had to make a _sick joke _like that! I swear, you'll laugh at anything!"

"Yeah, that's worse than Master Roshi, King Kai! **Shame** on you!" Krillin sneered, crossing his arms.

"That's _gross!" _Chiaotzu spat, having lost his appetite completely. King Kai laughed nervously, twiddling his thumbs behind his back. "Ah, hehe... Sorry about that, why don't we give Goku some peace and quiet, and head out for today's training?"

Krillin sighed, and stood.

"Yeah, poor Goku... I honestly do hope that wherever he is, he's having a good time."

"Yes, I feel the same way. I would feel horrible if Goku had to pass through hell like I did." Tien said, and pulled a blanket up to Goku's chin to cover him, and Chiaotzu patted it, tucking him in lovingly, before they left to go outside.

"Gohan... it's ok... daddy's here..." Goku croaked, his body trembling for a moment, before becoming still once again.

...

"Oh, Goku that was _great,"_ Chi-Chi sighed, collapsing against his chest, her loose black hair splayed across him.

"Wow, there's just something _different_ about you lately that _really_ turns me on!" She giggled, and Kakarot snorted, wrapping one arm around her as they looked up at the clouds passing over the blue sky.

"Did you forget _again?_ Remember, I said **my name** is Kakarot, I thought you would know that, you say it enough when I'm on top of you." He murmured through his teeth, his bitter grimace emulating no other than his father as Chi-Chi turned around quickly to glare at him, getting over her bliss, and growling.

"You're **_still_** on that roleplay kick! Jeez, how many times do I have to scream 'Kakarot'! until you're satisfied?!" She said, exasperated, as he chuckled and pulled her over him, kissing her lips with a sweetness like her Goku, and a primal hunger like alter-ego. Chi-Chi gave into his kisses, holding his face and smiling as his tail wagged under the blanket.

"Oh! And your tail! When did you grow it back?" She giggled, as he moved it up to tickle her cheek playfully.

"Never lost it.." He growled, and wrapped it around her neck gently like a fur collar, pulling her up to kiss him, as his hips sunk back down.

_"G-Go- Kakarot!"_ She gasped, then wrapped her legs around him.

"Mom?" A small, tinny voice was barely audible, then thry heard a knocking on the glass. Chi-Chi froze, and Kakarot looked down at her in warning, unwilling to remove himself from his mate just because their brat was watching.

"Get off me now, before Gohan sees, you goof!" Chi-Chi hissed, slapping at his back. "Dad?" The small voice questioned, and made Kakarot stiffen in response. Gohan looked at Kakarot curiously, something was _different_ about his father, but the resemblance was so uncanny, he dismissed it. His father moved off of Chi-Chi and stood, unashamed of his nudity like usual, as he picked his black breifs up off the ground with his tail, then pulled them on.

_That's odd, I don't remember daddy having a tail... _Gohan thought, his eyes wide as he placed his hands on the glass.

Chi-Chi pulled the blanket up to her chin, and blushed. Here she was, rolling in the grass first thing in the morning, as naked as the day she was born, with Gohan not 10 feet away!

_What kind of mother does **that**? _She thought, then hid her face in the blanket. Kakarot winked at her and chuckled, _She looks so cute and sexy, just like the morning after our wedding night..._ He thought, warmly recalling the odd image of her in a white dress as he walked over to the pod, and popped it open with a hiss.

"Daddy!" Gohan immediately cheered, jumping up into his arms to hug him. Kakarot didn't know how to respond, the concept of hugging seemed so far away and foreign to him as the boy wrapped his arms around his neck, and squeezed tightly.

"Son," Kakarot said, and patted his back once. He gulped, feeling an odd stirring in his chest like before, as he pulled the child back by his arms to look at him intently, examining the child's appearance, and his resemblance to him, which as Kakarot stared, was becoming apparent as he glanced back at Chi-Chi and confirmed it, seeing the woman wiping tears from her eyes as she watched. He felt a lump swelling in his throat and swallowed it, puzzled.

_Why am I feeling... so... **emotional**, I was desensitized as a brat. I haven't felt like this since I was on Planet Vegeta. Odd._

"_Daddy!_ I thought you both died when you and Uncle Raditz fought!" The little boy managed to sob out, and Kakarot cringed, pulling him back.

Images flashed through his mind of an intense battle with his brother that seemed strangely familiar, but he shook it off. He'd been in many sparring matches with Raditz, but they'd never ended with death.

"Stop that wailing, do I _look_ dead to you? And your 'Uncle' Raditz is fine, I'm sure he's just off on some mission." He retorted gruffly, his fist clenching as he calmed the urge to simply slap the boy into submission, something in him made him hesitate, as well as his worry for how the female would react.

_Chi-Chi would never forgive me!_ He gulped, thinking of her waving around a frying pan, then he came back out of it as the child interrupted.

"Really? So, can we see him? I want to have a picnic! We can have lots of food!" Gohan said happily, his small tail wagging, and Kakarot shrugged his shoulders, after all, he did like to eat.

"Eh, I suppose maybe sometime when we're off duty. Right now, we'll have to make do with what we can hunt." Kakarot supposed, and set down the boy, who instantly ran towards his mother.

_Is he not whelped yet? That's odd, saiyan boys his age should be weaned from their mother._

"Hey! Let your mother get dressed, boy. We'll go fetch the meat." He growled, and Gohan slowed down, hesitating to run into Chi-Chi's open arms. Gohan tilted his head a moment and blinked, remembering a familiar image of a small woman with short, spiky black hair, and warm, dark eyes that was almost, but not _quite_ like Chi-Chi. He looked back as Kakarot began pulling on his armour, and walked back towards him, staring at the ground.

"Gohan, sweetie?" Chi-Chi murmured, her hand to her chin as tears threatened to spill from her eyes at her son's rejection.

"I'll be back later, mother." He said solemnly, then flew off with Kakarot, the memories from his almost desensitization rolling through his mind, and conflicting with what he currently knew. Kakarot looked over at Gohan, and scoffed, examining the garish yellow and green garments he wore, that appeared to have no use in battle.

"Where's your armour, boy? Or have you not earned it?" He spat, and Gohan turned his head in question.

"Hmm? You mean like your Gi? I haven't earned that yet from Mr. Piccolo." He responded, eyeing his father's armour, and recognizing how it resembled his Uncle Raditz's. Some small, forgotten gear in his brain clicked, and he smirked.

"Though, I'd really like to wear armour befitting a Saiyan, after all." He said, and turned his face back, as Kakarot narrowed his eyes on him. Something was _odd_ about this boy, as was this entire situation. Everyone on this planet was _supposed_ to be dead, but here he was, playing _house_ with his long-lost family. He couldn't help himself though, he thought maybe he'd just play with the woman for one night, but he found himself marking her, _resealing_ their bond, that he himself only had a faint memory of. But, Kakarot had never _had_ a mate and children, Frieza didn't allow for familial relations within his army. For whatever reason, he just couldn't tear himself away from her, and a strong urge was welling up inside of him that reminded him of what Saiyan fathers _do_ with young whelps like Gohan.

_Gohan. What kind of name is that, **definitely** not Saiyan. Perhaps while out of sight of the female, I shall test this boy's resilience. If he truly is my son, he'll survive._

* * *

The beachside was dark, as the Saiyans left there were milling about, building odd structures with the leftover materials from the destroyed sanctuary, and rather quickly; as Launch noted, watching from atop a rock. Her newfound father, Nappa, was directing this odd gathering, ordering around the others with a sense of leadership that they didn't question. The Saiyans were skilled builders, she found out, and quick, too. They decided they liked the beachfront, and were using the un-marred area of the beach, near the trees, where the structures made of discarded wood and obsidian would stand, after being blasted with hot ki blasts to reinforce them.

Launch sighed, "This is boring. I wonder what Raditz is doing." She said, and flew down off the tall rock. What she didn't expect was to see Kannon there, leaning up against it with her arms crossed.

"Oh, uh. Hello." Launch blurted out awkwardly, glancing back at the camp, then at her mother.

"Hey... Quick builders, aren't they?" Kannon said with a smirk.

"Yeah, uhh... do you plan on staying... here?" Launch said, rubbing the goosebumps on her arms.

"Maybe for a while, I dunno. I haven't really had the freedom to ever explore this planet. This beach is the farthest I've ever been. Nappa just likes having someone to yell at. He spent a long time not being in command like he was used to, and now that he's got his own followers, he's just catching up for lost time." She said, watching him from afar, and sighing.

"Oh, yeah? I see. So, you and him... are together, like..."

"Mates? Yup." Kannon responded quickly, and Launch jumped a little in her skin, suddenly feeling nervous, she rubbed her neck where her mark was.

"You and Raditz are too? That's cute." Kannon snorted, and Launch steamed.

_"That's none a' your buisness!"_

Kannon laughed, and twirled the tassel on her cannon blaster playfully.

"Raditz has grown up to be a good man. Smart, strong, handsome. Just like I thought he would." She said warmly, and Launch nodded.

"Yeah... he said, you were like his mother, after his own passed?" She said cautiously, and Kannon nodded somberly, looking down at the ground.

"I tried, it's not easy trying to keep little Saiyans under control, they were always getting into everything, eating everything, making messes... hm. But I really loved those boys." She said with a smile.

"_Aww._ I bet Raditz was a _cute_ little boy!" Launch smiled back, her tail swaying back and forth a little.

Kannon chuckled, "Sure, he was. If you can consider _sneaky_ to be _cute."_ She chuckled, noticing her tail.

"I see, you have a part of your father." She smirked, and Launch turned to show her the tail. "Raditz taught me how to use it. I can do _all kinds_ of stuff with my tail, watch!" Launch said, suddenly gloating, as she went to wrap her tail around Kannon's ankles to take her down; for a bit of action to break the tension. Kannon stepped out of the way quickly, and grabbed her tail, making Launch grunt, then whirl around, and pull hard with her tail, knocking her mother on her back.

_"Oof! Hey, you!" _Kannon growled, then kicked out quickly from the ground, striking her in the back of the knees, and making her buckle, before putting her in a headlock, cackling maliciously.

"Urrg! Lemme **GO**!" Launch growled, then pushed her head up and bucked into Kannon's chin, making her teeth click together. _"Oww!" _She whimpered, holding one hand over her mouth, and Launch whirled around, pulling her semi from her armour, and aiming it at her.

"Hah! How'd ya like that, 'Mommy'!" She chuckled, and aimed the gun. Kannon growled, a heat coming out from around her, as her anger grew, in a red, wavy aura. Launch's erupted in turn, blazing golden, her hair raising slightly as she cackled.

"You've been a naughty little **brat**!" Kannon snarled, and pulled the tassel of her cannon blaster; making one blast out. Launch's eyes widened, and she ducked, gasping as the rock behind her was blasted into nothing, as the cannonball exploded.

"Whoa! You're psycho!" Launch shouted back, and began pelting her with bullets. Kannon sneered, as she surged out a golden light, and the bullets fell harmless to the ground, made into little pieces of hard licorice candy.

"What!? What the hell!" Launch screeched, as Kannon bent down, and popped one in her cheek, smirking with her achievement.

"_You_ can make _candy?!" _Launch exclaimed, and Kannon nodded.

"Candy. Chicken. You name it, I could probably make it."

"Wow... That's _awesome!"_ Launch said, lowering her gun. "Here." Kannon said, and tossed her one. "Try it."

Launch looked at the candy suspiciously, sniffing it, then popped it in her mouth, and tasted the familiar taste of sweet licorice candy.

"Let's take these to the others." Kannon said, and Launch nodded, squatting down to help her pick up all the little bullet shaped candies.

As they walked away, with Launch's tail wagging, and Kannon looking at her daughter with curious admiration, a soft crumbling of stones could be heard in the quiet, as Tianshae wedged herself in further to the rocky corner she had hidden herself in, waiting for the right moment to make her move. She wasn't quite sure what to do now, seeing as Vulcane was seemingly dead, but she hesitated to leave, the hypnosis that he put on her still lingering, as she'd watched the two conversing, and felt a hurt twinge deep in her heart.

"Tien." She whispered, and sobbed.

Where was her son? Dead? That's what it sounded like. She felt hopeless now, she had no family, no home now, no purpose. Tianshae peeked out a small opening in the rocks, and made an uneasy sound. She looked back over to where the women were walking together, laughing, then over to the darkness, where a burn trail in the slick obsidian had pulverized the glass into sand.

_Saiashi_... the wind whispered, and Tianshae whined again, crawling out onto her hands and knees, not caring as tiny shards of glass punctured her skin.

"Master... Master.. I must help the Master..." She chanted, her dark chestnut eyes glowing crimson in the shadows.

* * *

He hummed to himself as Dr. Briefs went to the kitchen, opening up the fridge, and taking out the milk and strawberry syrup, then making a tall glass of strawberry milk for his little girl. He then walked over to the medicine cabinet they kept over the counter, and opened it, taking out two bottles, one was labeled Diazapam, the other, was unmarked. He unscrewed the bottle of Valium, and dropped one pill in the garbage, then turned, and shook out a plain, blue pill of placebo, which by this point, was only about 10% Valium, as he kept track of the dosing, slowly weaning Bulma off, without her noticing. He closed the bottle, and put the both of them back, leaving the kitchen.

"Aaah...mmm.." Bulma yawned, and stretched, coming out of the large luxurious bathroom suite in the hall, where her mother insisted she take a long soak, while she looked after Vegeta, and Bulma relaxed. Bulma strolled out freely, wearing a thick pink terry cloth bathrobe, her short hair already drying as she raked her fingers through it, smirking at how convenient it would be now to style and dry. Bulma hesitated to walk in her room, and instead looked over to the door on the left, which was Vegeta's. She shrugged, and strolled over, pushing open the door, not before hearing a loud crash coming from her room.

"I said that's _**enough**! _Don't touch me, **old** woman!" Vegeta shouted, and Bulma jumped, startled, as her father bumped into her from behind, "Oh, _poppycock!" _He fumed, as she turned to look at him, and saw her poor father's glasses were covered in a pink, dripping substance, and he looked incredibly angry, as Scratch licked the milk off his face.

"I'm sorry Daddy! Was that for me?" She asked, feeling bad, she used her sleeve to clean his face.

"Yes," He sputtered, and offered her the still half full glass, and the pill in his hand, and Bulma took them, apologetic, as he walked away quickly to go get himself cleaned up. Bulma eyed the pill in her hand, and frowned, noticing it was melted from the milk wetting it. She walked over to a trash bot that was sitting inert in the hallway, and dropped it in. It lit up, making a beeping sound.

"Dispose of substance?" It chirruped, and she nodded. "Destroy."

"Destroying. Substance is 90% Sugar. 10% Diazapam, bendodiazapime. Anti-Depressant, Relaxer." It chirped, before there was a grinding sound, and a green light, indicating that it was taken care of. Bulma sipped her milk, her brows furrowing together.

_Hmm... That's certainly **odd**_. She perked back up quickly, as her mother came running out into the hall, sobbing, as pillows and stuffed animals pelted her, stuffing and feathers flying.

"Bulma! Help! Why's he so mean to me?!" She wailed, as Bulma stormed over to the door angrily, holding her mother back, to tear open the door.

"Hey! Don't make my Momma cry, Vegeta!" She shouted, as she saw him, then suddenly sputtered with bafflement.

Vegeta was propped up against her head board, with pillows supporting him, a tray table of goodies over his lap, and big bunny slippers on his feet.

"I **told** her, _stop_ doting on me, _damn it!_ I don't need all this _soft and fluffy _**_CRAP_**_!"_ He growled, and Bulma burst out laughing, holding her stomach as Bunny ran back in, and tore off his slippers, batting him over the head with one.

"Veggie, you are an _ungrateful, naughty_ boy! I don't think your mother would appreciate you treating me this way!" She shouted, then went to take away his plate of cookies, and his milk.

"What! I didn't say take those! My mother would slit your throat, you- **_elderly_** woman! Don't you _dare_ talk about my mother as if you knew her!" He growled, and Bunny huffed, crossing her arms, letting him have the cookies.

"Well, it's not as if we were ever properly introduced! If you're going to mar-"

"MOM!" Bulma yelled, and yanked her away. "That's enough!" She hissed, then turned back and gave Vegeta a reproachful glare, before closing the door, whispering lowly.

"Momma, Vegeta's parents died a _long_ time ago, please, don't push him too hard. I'll take care of him, ok?" She said softly, patting her shoulders as her mother sniffled.

"He-he called me _elderly!"_ She cried, covering her face and sobbing hysterically.

"Mom, you _aren't _elderly! You're only 55 years old, that's not that old!" Bulma soothed her, patting her shoulders.

"I'm a **senior citizen**, Bulma!" She snapped, then began wailing again, so loud it hurt her ears, and Vegeta's from behind the door.

"How am I supposed to get any rest with that _ridiculous racket!"_ He hissed from inside, and Bulma thrust open the door, furious.

"Vegeta, apologize to my mother, right now!" She demanded, stomping her foot.

"_Me? _You want ME, The _Prince_ of **All** Saiyans, to apologize to a feeble old woman?!" He retorted back, sweat spraying from his red face as he snapped, and began tearing off the blankets covering him, sending the cookies flying, as he stood up, his fists clenched angrily at his sides as the bandage covered man winced as he yelled.

"These people have _no_ respect! Get out of my way, I can't be in this stuffy room any longer!" He growled, but Bulma blocked his exit, by pulling her mother forth, who quickly flinched from being pulled towards Vegeta. Bulma looked at him sternly, and he looked at her with a furrowed brow, then at the pitiful little woman trying to curl up in a ball against Bulma from fear.

"Tch. This is ridiculous!" He huffed, crossing his arms, one eye twitching as his arm grazed his abdomen, which was slowly losing blood.

"It's... Ok, Bulma. Really. You don't hafta force him to apologize, after all... I shouldn't have touched his neck." She said softly, then flinched again, as Bulma looked at her oddly.

"His... _neck?"_ She said, puzzled, and looked back at Vegeta, who turned his head so she couldn't see the inflamed mark on his neck.

"I revoke my insults, alright? Just tell her to _watch_ where she's touching! Matter of fact, I don't want her touching me,** ever**!" Vegeta growled, and to Bulma's surprise, her mother nodded.

"Ok. I won't touch you, Vegeta. I understand... you need your.. personal space." She said softly, a tear dropping from her eyelash.

_"And?" _Bulma said, raising her brows at Vegeta. He looked perplexed a moment, then sighed.

"Hn. You are not what we Saiyans consider 'elderly'. In fact, you are aging _naturally_, as a Saiyan woman would, you show hardly _any_ signs of.. wrinkles, or graying hair." He muttered, not making eye contact, as Bunny's chin lifted, and her eyes widened.

"_Really_..? You, really think so?" She said, her eyes sparkling. He nodded once to confirm it._ "Ohh! Vegeta! You charmer!"_ She blushed, holding her hands to her cheeks. Bulma laughed, and another laugh followed, as Dr. Briefs joined in. Bunny ran to him and hugged him, squeezing her husband tightly.

"Honey! Did'ya hear! Vegeta was so sweet to me!" She giggled, and he kissed her forehead.

"Ah, well. It's about time! Now, Panchy, I agree with him on one level, though I don't _appreciate_ his wording." He said, eyeing Vegeta, who stiffened, as he took a pen out of his pocket, and clicked it as a warning.

"I agree with him, darling. I think perhaps you should leave the tending to Bulma, if that's who he feels the most comfortable with. Or, myself." He said, clearing his throat. Bunny looked back at Vegeta sadly, hoping that one day he would allow her to maybe hug him, or do any of the motherly things she couldn't help but feel drawn to do. "That would be preferable," Vegeta panted, then sat down, placing one hand on his abdomen, then pulling it away, as blood came away on his palm.

"I'll leave it to you... Bulma?" Her father said, and Bulma looked back quickly.

"Are you alright to handle... blood, dear?" He said carefully, and Bulma gulped, squeezing her glass of strawberry milk and looking down at the red ribbons laced throughout.

_I'll just pretend... it's strawberry syrup!_

She thought, feeling suddenly clever, she grinned.

"Yes, Daddy. Leave it to me!" She said, and saluted her father. Dr. Briefs chuckled, and saluted her with two fingers on his forehead, then left, with his arm wrapped around Bunny, who waved, smiling before resting her head back on her husband's chest with a contented sigh.

Bulma looked back to Vegeta, and gulped, as he eyed her carefully, not speaking, as he rested his hands on his thighs, breathing shakily.

"Are you fit to care for me, or do you feel faint?" He said, exhaling sharply. Bulma shook her head no, and walked up to him, moving one hand forth to feel his forehead. He was incredibly hot, and dripping with sweat. She was sure he had a fever, and it was likely hundreds of degrees higher than any human could withstand, she didn't dare use a thermometer, for fear it would explode.

"Just stay here, and I'll get you fixed up, ok?" She said, and pulled her hand back. Vegeta quickly took her hand, and to her surprise, kissed it, letting his lips rest there a moment, before taking her hand and stoking the back of it across his cheek, rubbing his scent on her. She smiled, "Why'd you do that?"

Vegeta quickly dropped her hand, and stared down at the plush pink carpeting.

"No reason... just, your skin is soft, and cool." He said, fibbing a little in his sudden shyness and she nodded, and kissed his temple, before going to the bathroom to gather the supplies she needed. Vegeta reclined back on the makeshift recliner her mother had made, and closed his eyes, hearing his own blood pulsing heavily in his ears.

"There." Bulma said, and he opened his eyes, his surroundings slightly fuzzy.

"Your bandages are changed, Vegeta. It all looks good. Just a little excess blood and fluid leaking out, from healing. But you heal faster than we do, so I suppose that's normal." She said sweetly, and he shuddered as she took a cold cloth, and wiped it down his broad, battle scarred chest, removing some of the black powder that still remained from battle. He gulped, feeling his throat was parched, and Bulma quickly moved, and offered him a straw, which was in a tall glass of cold red liquid.

"What's that?" He rasped, and Bulma giggled, taking a sip, "Tastes like cherry! It's Pedialyte. This is to replace the electrolytes and sugar you're losing in all that sweat, and to give you a boost of energy and vitamins!" She said sweetly, licking her lips. Vegeta flared his nostrils and sniffed it, then nodded, taking the straw, and drinking nearly half the bottle.

"Ah, that's enough! Not too much. You'll have to go pee, and right now I want you to _stay still!" _She giggled, as he growled with embarrassment. Bulma pulled out an odd looking jug, and showed him that there was a round opening at the top.

"If you really have to go, use this! On second thought," She pouted, looking at the opening, then down at his groin.

"It may be just a bit of a squeeze for certain... _parts."_ She said, and cleared her throat. Vegeta smirked with amusement as she set the jug aside, reclining back and relaxing, as Bulma carefully cleaned him with the cold cloth.

"Does that feel good?" She said, as she leaned over him, cleaning his face, smiling with upturned eyes like her mother.

"I know what would feel better," Vegeta purred, and used his one arm that felt like dead weight to squeeze her hip, and pull her up onto him.

"Vegeta! What do you think you're doing?" She huffed, moving away to be watchful of his bandages.

"You left the bed. I told you, don't get out of bed until I get back, so that we can finish the mating ceremony." He said sternly, and Bulma shook her head vehemently, her short hair whipping around.

"No WAY! You are in NO condition for _sex!"_ She whispered sharply, and attempted to get up, but he was able to hold her in place easily.

"But, Bulma..." _I'm in pain. _He wanted to say, but couldn't; squinting his eyes as he felt the searing pain all through his veins, from not sealing their bond, that was actually _worse_ than the wounds he'd suffered.

"Not until you're better." She said stubbornly, and Vegeta exhaled slowly, and frowned, plopping his head back on the pillows, his hands slowly losing their grip on her back.

"If you insist." He grumbled, then closed his eyes, turning his face away from the lamplight to rest. Bulma pouted, feeling bad for refusing him like that, but it just wasn't a good idea right now. She leaned forward and kissed his cheek, then paused, noticing the purple and red mark on his throat, and kissed there, pulling back without seeing the irritation disappear instantly, making Vegeta's brows finally lose their tension, his face relaxing as his breaths grew heavier with slumber. She smiled, and sat on the side of the bed, pulling open a drawer to take out a round container of birth control pills, then popped one into her mouth, downing it with the rest of her milk, before turning off the light, and curling up next to Vegeta.

* * *

The tunnel echoed with the sound of their careful footsteps, as Raditz and Piccolo made their way through the carven out rock where Vegeta had shot his Galick Gun, and as Raditz watched the floor, using the green light he'd installed in it to light their path, he saw wetness on the floor of the cavern. Piccolo paused, from where he was ahead a few steps, and turned, dipping one claw into the maroon, tacky substance.

"We're getting close," Piccolo said, and grunted, as he had a small amount of difficulty standing, Raditz took his hand and pulled him up. Piccolo growled, swatting his hand away.

"I don't _need_ your help!" He snarled, and turned sharply, making a small sobbing sound, Raditz could have sworn he heard it, and frowned, whispering, "Why so blue, green man?" as he followed close after him. He saw the fluctuations of the Namekian's power level on the scouter, and felt concerned that whatever was ahead, he was extra-sensitive to, and it couldn't mean well for him. He thought of telling Piccolo to turn back, but he relented. Piccolo was a proud individual, much like Vegeta, whom he was accustomed to. Raditz knew not to harm another man's pride, so he attempted to conceal his concern, and followed on.

"The blast must have melted the Gemini, if his blood is coating the walls like this." Raditz said, attempting to change the subject back to their searching, which Piccolo seemed very adamant on.

"Yes, your friend there made a massive blast, it was a worthy effort, but hopefully not in vain." Piccolo said roughly, climbing over some rock crystals that were jutting up from the tunnel. Raditz frowned, feeling slightly annoyed.

"Vegeta is not my friend _alone_. **He** is the Prince of All Saiyans. His effort, was _great_ and better than any of us could hope to achieve." He said gratingly, gritting his teeth with his anger at the Namekian's disrespect. Piccolo hissed in pain as his pantleg caught on the sharp quartz crystal, cutting his calf. Raditz surged forth to help, but Piccolo quickly blasted him with a force of energy, which was slightly charged air that made him stumble back just slightly.

"Stay the hell away from me!" Piccolo roared, and tore his leg away from the obstruction with a grunt of pain, leaving purple blood glistening on the tip.

"Piccolo..." Raditz said, creasing his brow with worry, as the other man charged forth through the tunnel stubbornly. Raditz heard a beeping in his ear piece, and looked down at the crystal Piccolo had cut himself on. Yet now, the blood was gone, and there was a strange dissonance in the crystal, that he sensed even without the scouter, that gave him a small shudder.

"Piccolo! Wait!" He shouted, jumping over it quickly, hunching his back and moving deftly, as he had been trained to at a young age when they had to clear out the tunnels. _"Agh!"_ He heard a garbled shout from up ahead, and ran even faster, coming to see with terror that Piccolo had stumbled into another crystal, and impaled his arm straight through with it, as he was surely unsteady on his feet. Raditz felt even angrier with the green man, now.

"What did I _**tell** you! _**Allow** me to assist you!" He exclaimed, and pulled Piccolo off the shard violently, squeezing him with his rage. "Stop being a _stubborn fool! _If you don't stop this idiotic act, I will be forced to immobilize you and carry you on my back!" Raditz growled, and shook Piccolo, who squeezed his eyes shut, and winced with pain. Blood dripped through Raditz's fingers as he held him, and he quickly pulled back, setting down Piccolo to inspect his injured arm. Raditz wiped the odd purple blood off his hand on his jeans, before assessing his injuries. Piccolo laughed weakly at Raditz's insistence, and held one hand up to stop him.

"Hey, it's alright... Remember my trick?" Piccolo said, panting.

"Your.. _trick?"_ Raditz replied, his eyes still focused on Piccolo's arm. Then he remembered, he'd blasted his arm off before.

"I can't do it right now...not in a mangled mess like this. Plus, I'll keep bleeding until I bleed out if I can't get some...water. But, we can stop the bleeding... if, you blast my arm clean off like before..." Piccolo struggled to speak, clutching one arm as it pumped out blood onto the ground.

"No!" Raditz shook his head, and squeezed his hand around Piccolo's wound, attempting to tourniquet the blood flow.

"That won't work. It's too late. Please do it. I still have the energy to grow another arm. Then we can keep going to get.. that bastard's heart!" He growled, and Raditz nodded. "Ah... Alright. Wait, I used my Double Sunday before to do that...! That attack is much too large to do in here..." He said, and Piccolo smiled.

"I have an idea, how quick of a learner are you?" He said, and Raditz smirked.

"Quick, tell me, what do you need me to do?" He said, though he already had an idea.

"You remember my special attack, right? Special Beam Cannon."

"Yes, how could I forget, it nearly killed me." Raditz chuckled, and moved aside his black tank top to show him the starburst of scar tissue between his chest and shoulder.

"You Saiyans... sure are impressive... alright, place two fingers on your forehead...and place the other on my arm... You're going to redirect your Double Sunday into one arm, and condense it... it's the only way.." Piccolo rasped, as Raditz stared at him, shaking his head.

"My arm.. it'll _burst! _All that power?" He said, gulping.

"Don't be silly... you've seen it yourself.. it's like that Prince's attack, and his arms don't explode, do they?" Piccolo said, smiling weakly. Raditz nodded quickly, "Ok. I trust you. I'm going to try." Raditz placed his hand around the area of torn flesh, and took a deep breath, placing two fingers on his forehead. As he concentrated, his fingers slowly became red and glowing.

"Good, you're doing great, but you need more power.." Piccolo said, and placed his free hand on Raditz's arm.

"Push past your fear and let it flow through you... imagine a vortex in your body, at the center, is your power. Each limb is a pathway, legs, arms, even that... silly tail of yours..." He chuckled softly, as red and blue energy began to pulse out around Raditz, who was concentrating too hard to laugh, but Piccolo's support encouraged him, and he growled with the energy flowing through, imagining it running through his veins, wrapping around his bones, feeling a hot point of power at the tip of his tail, as he bared his teeth and snarled with his exertion.

"Yes, yes, you're doing it Raditz! Now! Do your attack!" He said, and Raditz nodded once, and grunted, _"Special...Beam... Sunday!"_ and a fiery red beam blasted out his hand, and cut through Piccolo's arm with ease, making him cry out in agony, then laugh, as Raditz fell back, and looked at his hand with surprise, making sure it was still attached.

"Wow! What a blast! That was invigorating!" Raditz exclaimed, and helped Piccolo to stand, still a little woozy from the blood loss. He held him up carefully as Piccolo strained, blood dripping from his severed arm, and onto the bloor in a puddle where the discarded limb lay, and he groaned, as a new arm shot out quickly from the wound.

"Amazing! So, _that's_ regeneration!" Raditz exclaimed, and Piccolo chuckled.

"Yes! I feel great! I can fight! Let's **do** this!" He said with sudden vigor, and Raditz agreed, punching one hand into the other, "Agreed, let's grapple! I feel as strong as an Elite Warrior!" He said with just as much gusto, and the two flew down the tunnel with renewed energy, leaving behind Piccolo's powerful blood, which was sucked slowly into the exposed power crystals, which then glowed green, as a soft, rattling hiss of a chuckle could be heard from deep within.


	31. Deep Red Deluge

The long stretch into the earth seemed infinite as they made their way ever farther, night stretching into dawn, but time seemed not to matter in the darkness, only illuminated by the green light of Raditz's scouter. He and Piccolo had felt rejuvenated by their shared enthusiasm to fight, but now that it was getting later, and still there was no visible trace of Vulcane's remains, besides the blood splatter surrounding the tunnel, they had grown peckish and weary.

Raditz in particular, was dragging his feet as Piccolo insisted on barreling ahead with no rest stops, even though his skin was shiny with perspiration, and his legs shook with each step.

"Piccolo, please, let us stop. A saiyan has to eat." Raditz groaned, and Piccolo snorted back.

"I know, you've told me twenty times now! There's no goddamned water in here either, so either get used to it, or lap the blood up off the floor like a mongrel if you're _that_ hungry." He growled, irritated, and Raditz frowned with disgust at his suggestion.

"I've eaten some questionable things before, but... " He muttered, looking at the floor, and pausing, pulling his boot out of a suction puddle of dark effluence, as it stretched into strings, then splashed back as he freed himself.

"This sure is _alot _of blood for one man." Raditz mused, dragging his boot on the floor to attempt to clean it off as they walked.

"Hmm... It is **odd**. He was such a small fellow, it's not possible he could have any more than 4, 5 liters of blood, but what we've seen here equates to hundreds of gallons..." Piccolo wondered aloud, then heard an odd voice emitting from Raditz's scouter.

"That's correct, an adult human body only holds 5.5 liters of blood at most. But this man was not human, I'm told."

Raditz perked up, and smiled as Dr. Briefs joined in.

"Oh, hey, Doc! I see you've gotten through alright on your end!" He said cheerfully, as Piccolo leaned in closer and listened with speculation.

"Who the hell are you talking with?! You've been able to communicate with the outside world this entire time?!" Piccolo growled, as Raditz looked back with surprise.

"...Yes? This is Dr. Briefs. He's an expert in mechanical engineering and biology..."

"Ah, Raditz, my boy! No need for introductions, I have great news! Your armour is ready, what time do you think you'll be done there?" He said, chipper, and Raditz placed his hands on his hips, squinting as he added it up in his head.

"Well, if the Galick Gun was propelling at about an average speed of 100mph, and the time of the blast was around 3.5 minutes...That gives us about 35 miles. Seeing as we've travelled 30 now, I'd say that we're about there." He said, nodding.

"Right-O! Keep it up, then. Notify me of anything odd, perhaps I can be of some assistance." He responded, and Raditz nodded, then thought on it.

"I do have one question. Are you familiar with the type of crystals we've been seeing in this cavern?" He said, and pressed a button on the scouter, which allowed Dr. Briefs to see what he was looking at. Raditz looked closer at a glowing purple crystal on the wall, which seemed to have a luminescence of its own.

"This is very curious!" Dr. Brief exclaimed, then made a musing sound.

"Perhaps, Quartz? Or, it could be Halite! Give it a little taste, would you?" He said, and Piccolo looked at Raditz as he considered the suggestion, with a bewildered look.

"If it's salty it's Halite. If it's not, and it's hard, it's Quartz. But I cannot be sure, seeing as no crystals on earth _look_ quite like that."

Raditz rubbed the crystal with his finger, then licked it, and grimaced.

"Ack! Ugh. It's not salty. It's bitter." He said, spitting.

"Ah, perhaps a bit of Epsomite is growing there...? But that's not possible. The locale is not ideal. Nope. What you have there, is not indigenous to Earth, I'm afraid. Be careful down there, boys." He said with warning, and Raditz nodded.

"Will do." The communicator was cut off, and they continued their journey, now feeling a slight bit more uneasy now that they knew the crystals were not commonplace on earth. They came over a ridge in the tunnel, and when they looked down, they saw at last the end of their journey. Both sighed in relief, and turned to one another.

"Well, I guess it's safe to say we're just about done here!" Raditz said, and Piccolo nodded slightly, glancing behind him.

"Perhaps. But watch your back, I have a feeling we're not exactly _alone_ here." He whispered, and Raditz glanced back, then hopped down. Piccolo followed, and they headed for the glowing red anomaly up ahead. "I know." He said softly, and gestured with his thumb. "The Gemini woman seems neglect to leave her master alone. But I don't see the harm in her being here." He whispered, not looking back to where Tianshae was hiding behind a cluster of crystals, the glow of her amber eyes making her obvious.

"I wouldn't be so sure." Piccolo muttered bitterly, and flew towards the end of the tunnel. What they saw there was very curious, as they approached carefully. A katana sword was wedged into the floor, and the red ball on the pommel was glowing. When they looked around, they saw black veins throbbing on the floor of the tunnel, then, spotted the source. An emaciated body was splattered on the back wall, plastered there; burnt until nearly indistinguishable.

"Vulcane..." Raditz whispered, his face paling. Piccolo grinned, and picked up the katana, testing the weight of it in his hands. "This will do nicely." He said, and chuckled. "Wait, Piccolo, is that...?" Raditz began, but he had already surged forth and plunged it into the corpse, twisting it, with a demented gaze in his eyes.

"Take that! How do you like your own sword in your guts?"

Then, there was a pulse that went through the sword, and the glowing crystals surrounding them suddenly dimmed completely. "Oh, shit." Raditz muttered, his eyes widening as he realized what the purpose of the crystals _actually_ was.

The pulse went through the sword, once again, and into Piccolo, as he stiffened from the odd feeling, his eyes widening.

"The power of a Namekian should be _just_ enough... Heheh..." A raspy voice chuckled, and then became deeper, as Piccolo turned to Raditz, and grinned devilishly, his eyes glowing red.

* * *

The forests of Mount Paozu were alive with the sounds of wildlife, as Chi-Chi squeezed water from her hair, the glimmering drops of water dappling her pale skin as she stepped out of the refreshing river, and back onto land, taking the blue fur blanket, and wrapping it around herself to dry. She looked off into the hilly green distance, and sighed. Gohan and Kakarot had been gone awhile longer than she'd expected, so she took this opportunity to bathe and freshen up, hanging the blanket over an overhanging tree branch for modesty, as she once again opened the clothing capsule, and searched for something decent to wear.

She grumbled a little as she dug through the portable dresser, then exclaimed with relief, as she at last found something much more decent to wear while traipsing up and down hill through the mountains.

_"Sneakers!" _Chi-Chi squealed happily, and pulled them out of the dresser enthusiastically. It was cram-packed with random items haphazardly stuffed into it; something she supposed Goku had done in his hurry to pack up all the clothing. Chi-Chi hummed happily, and dressed, forgoing a bra with the unfortunate differences in sizes, she was a bit too large for any of the ones in the dresser, a bit too tall for the jeans, but they fit her snugly enough, and the dark green cotton shirt that said 'GUCCI' in gold lettering was just right for her, as she pulled it over her head, then looked down at her chest and plucked at it. She didn't know what the hell a 'GUCCI' was, nor did she care, as she pushed the dresser drawer back in, and with it, a misplaced t-shirt fell from the crack, and onto the grass. Chi-Chi's eyes widened. She feared she would scream, so she clapped one hand over her mouth. It read 'BULMA', in black block lettering, on a pink t-shirt dress. But, that wasn't right. There was no way Goku would steal Bulma's clothes, would he?

Chi-Chi picked up the shirt hesitantly, and felt the fabric, and the lettering screen-printed onto it. It was real. But, she was sure there was an explanation for this. Surely, Goku had made a mistake, when he had said 'they were free,' he must have thought Bulma had given these clothes to him. Chi-Chi suddenly shuddered, feeling a cold chill in the air. She took a red Letterman's jacket, and put that on as well, before encapsulating the items, feeling much less enthusiastic about her gift, and more suspicious, as she walked back to camp, feeling a sense of growing anxiety as she thought back to all the signs she may have missed.

_I told you, **my name** is Kakarot!_

_**We** have a son?_

The lack of fear over needles. His vast differences in personality. His armour, his arrival in a space pod so much like the one that Gohan had gotten trapped in. Talk of 'missions'', 'duty' and odd mentions of a brother named Raditz, and other men Chi-Chi had never heard Goku mention before, with odd names like, 'Vegeta,' 'Nappa,'...

"Wait!" She gasped, and froze in mid-step. She thought back to that terrible day, the day when that horrible man Piccolo had arrived, and gruffly told her a bloody tale of battle. She had urged him to get to the point, where was her Goku, and what the hell did he want from her? In her impatience, she hadn't even given the green monster the chance to tell the full story. He'd grumbled, and reluctantly told her that Goku was dead, as well as his brother Raditz, before telling her he was taking Gohan, no questions asked. In a way, it was surprisingly considerate of the Namekian, but that was where the trouble had all started.

Chi-Chi fell to her knees, clutching the blue blanket desperately to cover her face, as sobs began to wrack throughout her body, remembering at last that this was not Earth as she knew it. She had jumped so quickly into the water jug, she hadn't even bothered to ask Korin more about what she was getting into. This was in fact, The Darkness, and she was in an alternate reality where this Goku was not her Goku, he was Kakarot; a cruel, battle embittered man, who still seemed to be attracted to her, and fine with adopting his newfound son if that meant they could 'play' together.

"Oh, Kami! I'm such an _idiot!"_ She wailed, shaking her head. But Chi-Chi had never considered herself any lesser than any woman or man, her father had ensured she had a good education, and Martial arts training. This was different, though. Intelligence was not what she had been going by. Call it a woman's intuition, or perhaps her small fraction of a Saiyan's primal instinct, but she had recognized her 'mate' through his disguise.

Goku and Kakarot are one man, in that they share the same body and mind, but a different destiny; and yet, the same essence; Chi-Chi couldn't help but feel her husband was right there with her, somewhere inside of that shell of a soldier. And so, she wiped her cheeks with the blanket that Ji-Ji Hana had given her, and straightened herself, puffing out her chest, and holding her head high. Chi-Chi Son-Mao was no frightened crybaby, nor was she an ignorant fool. So she tied her shoelaces, and walked back to camp, her long black hair cascading over her shoulders, before taking a break to scratch her lower back.

Chi-Chi looked around, making sure the coast was clear, then unbuttoned her jeans, and _really_ went in there with the scratching, to her embarrassment. But she just couldn't help it! There was an odd spot on her back that just couldn't be itched, no matter how hard she scratched. Chi-Chi eventually gave up, and sighed, looking at her nails to make sure she wasn't bleeding. There was a small amount of blood, then to her surprise, a small brown hair beneath her nail. She flicked it off, and wiped her hands on her jeans, feeling unladylike.

"I guess I must need a wax or something! Sheesh!" She exclaimed, chuckling softly to herself as she zipped back up her pants, then headed back to camp.

...

Gohan on the other hand, was not handling this new transition well. They'd flown off, on a search for something to eat, but now, it was becoming a desperate struggle for his own survival.

Currently, Gohan was hiding behind a tree, panting. Kakarot had tricked him, once they'd spied their first deer, he'd instructed Gohan to fly down, and carefully sneak up on the deer to make sure it didn't get away once he took his kill shot from the sky. Gohan was a bit nervous, but he'd nodded, wanting to not appear weak in front of his father. The second the shot had rung out though, the deer bolted, just missing Kakarot's ki blast by a hair, and the chase had begun. He chased after the deer, but soon found out, it was not the deer being chased, but him!

Gohan gulped, and peeked out for just a split second, then, **_craaack! _**The massive tree groaned, as a ki blast burst through the bark above Gohan's head, and sent it hurtling to the ground. He yelped, and scrambled away as quickly as he could, running into the cover of forest, tailed by a black shadow that sped across the ground. Kakarot flew quickly behind, and swung from tree to tree using his prehensile tail, Gohan couldn't move fast enough! Shots rang out around his feet, the dirt exploding with each near fatal blow, as Gohan did his best to zig-zag around the blasts, then found a small burrow, and crawled in. Kakarot hovered above, as Gohan panted from inside, a cold sweat covering him, quivering violently with fear, as he heard the leaves crunching underfoot from above the cave.

"Gohan!" Kakarot called, and Gohan quivered, hearing his father's familiar voice, but he hesitated, crawling back farther. He found his tail, and nursed on it, regressing back to his former frightened self.

"Come on out, boy! That was just a friendly game of chase, and hey! You outran me, so you won! So, let's go and get some food, for real now!" He said, and Gohan gulped, his stomach growling for nourishment.

"We've gotta get back to your mother! She's waiting for us!" He said, and the mention of Chi-Chi got through to him, so Gohan crawled out, and looked around, holding his tail between his teeth like a dog with a treasured stick.

He caught the gleam of red armour in the sunlight, and Kakarot turned, grinning.

"You're fast for a pup raised on Earth, you know that? Now, get that tail out of your mouth, we've got hunting to do. Only whelps suck on their tails. You aren't a little pup, are you?" He sneered, his hands on his hips, a cruel grin on his rugged lips, but the same playful light in his onyx eyes. Gohan dropped his tail, and shook his head 'no,' wiping the hair off his tongue with the back of his sleeve.

"Good. Now, let's go find something that Chi-Chi can cook for us. We'll need a lot of food!" Kakarot said, and grabbed Gohan by his scruff, and placed him on his shoulder pad. Gohan gasped at first, then found purchase around his neck, hanging on as Kakarot took flight, and smiling, feeling glad that he was at last reunited with his father.

...

Chi-Chi sat primly, her hands resting on her thighs as they finished their food. She looked down at the growing pile of bones and smiled, feeling happy that they enjoyed her cooking just like old times, even if it was just barbecued deer and whatever mushrooms and edible greens she could scrounge up.

"Don't you want any more?" Kakarot said, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, and she shook her head, her hair back, wrapped into its rightful bun.

"No thank you, I'm full." She said, even though she did still feel oddly hungry, she didn't want to overeat, then feel nauseous like she used to get during her pregnancy with Gohan.

Kakarot eyed her carefully, his tail twitching at the end as he tore into the meat, and chewed it quickly. The female was an excellent cook, adept at child-rearing, and very pretty. She was polite, well-mannered, and ladylike, unlike the female soldiers he'd encountered in the past. Kakarot had never seen a female Saiyan besides Gine, he had been far too young to actually remember much detail about his home planet, but from what Nappa had told him, most saiyan women were strong and fierce, deadly to even look at, and even more deadly to claim. Some were more muscular than others, while some were petite power houses, more skilled in the art of cooking, like his mother. His eyes roved over her curiously, taking in her features, and gazing appreciatively. Raven black hair, onyx eyes, pale skin like that of royalty. She was toned yet soft and shapely, and as for fierce? She was most certainly a close second to a Saiyan woman.

"Didn't anybody ever tell you it's _rude_ to stare?" Chi-Chi huffed, and zipped up her jacket. Kakarot smirked, and tossed his bones into the fire, standing.

"Staring at a woman is a challenge where I am from. If the woman stares back, it means she isn't afraid of the male." Kakarot stated plainly, spitting a small chunk of cartilage onto the ground. Gohan jumped up, quickly gulping down his food before talking.

"Is that like a staring contest? Remember, you and daddy did that before!" Gohan said happily, and Chi-Chi blushed a little, looking away from Kakarot. He furrowed his brows a bit, and tried to remember if he had ever done that before. It was faint, but the memory of her eyes blazing straight into his was very vivid.

"Yeah, and you always won before, daddy! That's why mom _hates_ people who stare." The child stated bluntly, and Kakarot smirked, kneeling down on one knee.

"Is that so?" He said, and leered forth towards her. Chi-Chi was completely still one moment, then _CRACK!_ Kakarot stiffened, a bright red handprint clearly impressed into his cheek, as she pulled her hand back, and held it, caressing where it ached.

"_Slapping_ is also a way of proving one's strength," Chi-Chi clipped, "Where _I'm_ from, a woman does not cower in fear of a man just because he can keep his **eyes** open longer than she can. Enough silly games. We need to get moving, we've dawdled here long enough." With that, she stood, and quickly began gathering up her meager belongings. Kakarot looked to Gohan in question, rubbing his cheek, and the child smiled at him, chuckling dopily as if this were something completely normal to the boy.

"Kakarot, don't just _stand_ there! Get that fire doused, do _something!"_ She snapped, and he turned quickly, blinking with surprise.

_She called me Kakarot that time, instead of Goku. Why?_

He thought, feeling a small twinge in his chest, then he growled, and stomped out the fire with his boot, pulverizing the bones there easily into dust. Then, as he was encapsulating the space pods, he heard an angry growl erupt from the little woman.

"Where is it?! My Radar! _Ohh!_ That was my only way to detect the dragon balls! Now what'll we do?!" She grovelled, digging through the grass, and tossing clumps of dirt into the air with her failed efforts. Gohan stepped forward, looking around frantically. "Mom?" He questioned, his little tail twisting in a nervous knot. He held up the broken radar that was covered in mud, now completely unusable as she took it and attempted to click the buttons angrily, to no avail.

"Ugh! We need to get those last two dragon balls! I have to get out of this place, and go home! Who knows what's happening on Earth!" She whimpered, tossing it down to the ground.

Gohan tilted his head, and Kakarot was just as puzzled, stepping forth carefully, with one hand tensed at his armour where the radar he'd stolen from Bulma was carefully tucked away. The little boy spoke before he could, and reflected his sentiments exactly.

"On _Earth?_ What do you mean? We **are** on Earth-"

"No, Gohan! You and your- 'father' are just figments of my imagination! The _real_ you, and the real Goku, are probably **dead** for all I know!" She screamed, and turned her cheek away from him, her shoulders quaking as she held in her emotions.

"Chi-Chi. I'm not sure what happened before, but this _is_ Earth. As I know it. I once lived here as a child, then... I found my occupation, and now I've only come back to this planet for those very same dragon balls..." He said, his voice slightly catching, as he pulled out the radar.

"... if you really do need them, you can have your wish first. I'll come back again next year, no matter the repercussions that this will have..." He gulped, thinking bitterly of how his return to Frieza would go. If he returned, he hated to think how his Overlord would react to him giving the dragon balls over to an earth woman instead of him.

"...If that is what you truly want, then you can have them." He said bitterly, and tossed the radar onto the grass. Chi-Chi gasped, grabbing it quickly, then looked up at him just as he looked away. She could have sworn he had a hurt expression on that hardened face of his, but it was gone quickly, as he blinked hard, and her Goku from before was gone completely. This was a man that had never met her before, he had never been there, to her dimension, but he seemed to be affected by her dismissal of his existence.

"Kakarot...?" She said softly, and he turned around. "Climb up onto my back. I'll take you to them." He said, and Chi-Chi nodded, stepping forth carefully. She patted the pack at her side, where the Dragon Balls were carefully bundled, then tied the blue blanket around Gohan's shoulders.

"What's this for, mom?" He said, plucking at his makeshift cape, and smiling, seeming to enjoy how it made him look like a superhero as he flew up.

"So you don't catch a cold." She simply said, and climbed onto the broad back of the man beneath her, and clung onto him tightly, clicking on the Radar, and showing him the direction where the tiny arrows were pointing. He nodded, and took flight. Chi-Chi wrapped her arms around his neck and clasped them together, the sparkling ring on her finger catching his attention for a moment. He dismissed it, and stayed on his flight path towards the old city, contemplating on what he would do now, the red scouter over his eye a bitter reminder, that everything he did had consequences, and that he belonged to Frieza Force, not some family he'd never even known _existed_ before.

* * *

"Heheh, _that's_ my gal! Hand em' over!" Korin chuckled, holding out his paw. Kami grumbled, and passed him a small bag. Korin snatched it up as Mr. Popo watched, stunned. They sat overlooking Earth from the Lookout, where they had been watching over Chi-Chi in The Darkness.

"I told ya good ol' Cheech would figure it out! See!" Korin chuckles, then reaches into the bag, fishing around for the shiny crystal marbles they had used earlier to play 'Go', also known as Chinese Checkers, and rolled one across the white cobblestone and batted it around. Kami smirked slightly, and crossed his arms.

"You won them fair and square, Master Korin. But what now will Chi-Chi do? It is strange, but it seems without even _our_ knowledge the mystical composition of the Dragon Balls has allowed them to transcend the boundaries of this dimension." He said calmly, and raised a cup of hot water, and allowed the steam to warm his face before sipping.

Mr. Popo fixed a cup of tea for Korin on the bright red carpet he had laid down for them to sit on, pouring hot water from an ornate crystal decanter.

"Yes. It seems that the Earth_ within_ The Darkness has had a rougher time than our own, but it came to me as a great surprise when Kakarot gave up his own chance to obtain them, in order to _help_ her." He said, picking up his new shiny marbles and putting them in the bag.

"Extra cream, Master Korin?" Mr. Popo asked, and Korin nodded.

"Of course."

"Perhaps you are onto something, but I have my doubts with that 'Kakarot' fellow. What say you on his chances of betrayal? I would like a few of those lovely Koi fish for my pond." Kami said with a mischievous sniff, and set down his cup.

"Kami! Gambling is _immoral!"_ Mr. Popo gasped, but the elder waved one hand at him dismissively.

"Pah, **I** say what's what! And I would enjoy winning some of those pretty fish very much in an innocent trade of wagers!" He said, huffing, and Mr. Popo shrugged.

"I can let go of a few fish, I suppose. But I'm telling you, this 'Kakarot' is partially Goku, and Goku wouldn't let him betray Chi-Chi." He said smartly, kicking his large ear with one foot.

"Say, _there's_ an idea! Have you ever heard of Go-Fish?" said, his eyes sparking with whimsy. Korin nodded, stirring a package of finely ground catnip into his Chai tea.

"It's certainly less risky than playing poker with my dinner!" Korin growled, then tested to see if his tea was sweet enough, and purred when finding it was just right.

" 'Go-Fish'? What is the premise of this game?" Kami said, looking serious.

"Ah, well... It is typically played with cards, but... I have an idea. We shall play Go-Fish with the similarities between our reality, and the reality of the darkness until your little bet plays out." He said, holding up one charcoal colored finger with a gold ring, then curling it down as he started the game.

"I'll make it easy, the first similarity here, is the existence of Mount Paozu. That's one match. What do you say, Kami?" He said politely, and the elder thought about it for a moment.

"Ehh... What are the bounds of this game? Does that mean that such a thing like having a blue sky, or dragon balls counts?" He said uneasily, and Mr. Popo nodded.

"That's 2 matches for Kami!" He said cheerfully, and Korin grumbled.

"That's _cheatin'!_ He was just asking a question!" He snarled, curling his lip back to show a row of tiny sharp teeth between two pointed canines.

"Ah, ah! What did you say before, Korin? To not allow one's behind to become sore when they lose?" Mr. Popo said, making the Neko-Sennin groan back, exasperated. The others laughed with their amusement; the mystical deities playing games of chance as they contemplated on the fates of the saviors of Earth.

* * *

In Other World, things had at last come to a draw. It was the battle of the bald; who would triumph against Gregory? Chiaotzu or Krillin? Goku still remains unresponsive; lost to the darkness, and yet his body remains in a state of stationary rest. There is no concept of time where these earth warriors have been called to train, as the small cricket pants, covered with scratches, his poor arm in a sling after Tien had at last gotten him with his hammer.

"Now, on the count of three, we go, ok? I'll charge at him and distract him, then you sneak up from behind!" Krillin whispered, and the little one nodded.

Tien and King Kai stood off to the side, observing quietly, as Tien peeked over to the blue alien with one eye.

"So, now that I've caught Gregory, what's next?" He asked, somewhat eagerly.

"Well... from what I saw on Earth with your battle with Raditz, I believe I have a solution for your little 'self-detonation' issue.." King Kai said, air quoting with his fingers. Tien looked on, expectant.

"Your method with the 'Reikitzen' is flawed, in that you were taking your energy from the girl, Launch. Understandably, this can not ever happen again, are we clear?"

Tien nodded. "I understand. Don't worry, when I go back to Earth, one of the first things I plan to do is apologize for my actions and try to repent for them in any way I can!" Tien said, bowing his head shamefully.

"Good, good... So, do you deem yourself pure of heart now that the malignant forces have lost control over your body?"

Tien thought about this for a long moment, his eyes downcast to the ground.

"I.. would like to hope so. After my death, I realized that there are more important things I must fight for than a beautiful woman... although I cared deeply for Launch, I did not care enough to be _completely_ selfless. That is what I must become in order to repent.. I will become truly selfless; _Anatta:_ to only care for others, my own self is none. I am little, but I can help others with this strength." Tien said with conviction, as King Kai looked on, his brows raised.

"Very well. We will see if you're a candidate for the Spirit Bomb." He said, and Tien looked back up, smiling hopefully.

"Yay!" Chiaotzu cheered, as he and Krillin at last caught Gregory, and the disgruntled cricket buzzed up into the air, and flew around King Kai's head.

"Alright, alright! That's enough! this isn't whack-a-mole!" He said, exhausted, and Krillin and Chiaotzu chuckled nervously, dropping their hammers.

"Well, we got him!" Krillin grinned, his arm around Chiaotzu as he beamed as well.

"Congratulations, you two! Now it's time for your next lesson!" King Kai said, and gestured towards Tien.

"Tien, would you do the honors of demonstrating that amazing attack, Reikitzen?"

Tien brightened, and got quickly into his pose to do his Reikitzen. Chiaotzu quickly ran behind Krillin, shivering. Krillin looked behind him, then back, confused.

"Are you sure that's wise, Tien?" He said, and gulped.

"Be careful!" Chiaotzu trembled.

Tien chuckled, and smiled to encourage his friend to come back out.

"No worries, Chiaotzu. I won't let what happened on Earth ever happen again."

The little warrior seemed nonplussed by this as he hid, and King Kai looked on inquisitively.

Tien slowly rotates his arms, and shifts his feet back, repeating the ritualistic act of Tai Chi once again. King Kai watches, observing how Tien performs the attack in order to examine the move; so that Tien can still have his signature attack, without the unfortunate side effects. The glowing golden orb in his hands begins to enlarge, but Tien does not allow it to grow out of control; he grits his teeth, and aims the orb out into the yellow clouds, where it bursts, and sunbeams radiate down harmlessly as he recovers, slightly panting.

"Very good, Tien. But it is my understanding that that was not the full extent of your power, no. We mustn't inflict that level of damage upon Other World, but we can take some from it, as the energy here is infinite."

Tien nodded, and waited for the next step.

"Alright, now. In order to perform Reikitzen like you would Spirit Bomb, listen well to my next instructions. You two listen up as well, you're next!" King Kai said, and Krillin and Chiaotzu nodded.

"The Spirit Bomb draws energy from all living things, so we must only use it as a _last resort! _Overuse of the Spirit Bomb could cause devastating planetary effects! Now, close your eyes, and hold out your hands. Feel every tiny life force that exists, and draw it within yourself. Allow them to lend you their energy."

Tien closed his eyes, and retained his pose, remaining completely still, as the wind gently blew, and a soft susurration swept over the planet, the small planet's energy coming towards Tien in tiny sparkles, and absorbing into the white ki ball forming in his hand. Tien felt the energy growing, and combined it with his own, in order to not sap the energy completely, as it grew, and rays of light began to spin from his open fingers.

"Lend me your energy!" He said, then the light pulsed white, with golden tendrils of electricity, as Tien shifted his stance, and at last shouted: _"Reikitzen!"_

The wind blew back, and everyone clung to one another for leverage as the sheer energy of the blast whirred in their ears at a high pitch, then exploded, and flashes of lightning and heat blasted through the atmosphere. Rain began to fall, and King Kai laughed, getting back to his feet, he ran and hugged Tien enthusiastically, jumping and clicking his heels together.

"Good work, Tien! You've mastered the spirit bomb!" He cheered, and the rain patter slowed, then the sun shone down on them, and a rainbow appeared.

"Tien, you did it!" Chiaotzu cheered, and ran out from behind Krillin.

"That was great!" Krillin exclaimed, and Tien chuckled bashfully.

"I suppose that was an improvement, huh?" He said, blushing slightly at all the praise he was receiving. Chiaotzu hugged around his green pant leg and he patted him on his black cap.

"No more harm will be done on those who are good of heart. I'll only use this attack to defeat those who are truly evil." He said, and Krillin smiled, then looked towards the tiny house where Goku still rested inside.

"I only wish that Goku was here to see it." He said, then walked over and looked up at the brilliant rainbow, dazzling over the nimbus clouds.

* * *

Golden light resonated from behind the dark solar anomalies shadowing over Earth, as the sun rose, and took its place in the sky, as did the planets.

Launch rubbed her eyes and wandered out of the structure she'd slept in alone the night before, and looked all around her curiously, her indigo hair laying across the back of her blue body suit, with a curling blue tail poking around the air. She caught the scent of barbecued meat and her stomach growled, as she approached the center of the saiyan encampment, where everyone sat around a fire eating their shares of an enormous white shark that was likely caught by one of them.

"Come sit down, doll-face. You hungry?" Kannon said, with a welcoming smile, offering her some meat from the spit.

"Yes, thank you." Launch nodded, and sat on a rock, taking the roasted kabob of shark meat, and nibbling at it. Her timid violet eyes took in everything, with a small amount of trepidation. The massive figures all looming around her seemed intense and frightening, and she wished dearly that her Raditz were here too, as she lowered the meat and sighed.

"Ah, don't look so glum!" A rough voice said, and Launch looked up quickly. The bald guy was speaking to her. Launch gulped.

"Raditz is one of the best tunnel-heads I know! He can clear those babies in record time, that boy can smash through anything!" Nappa said proudly, then tore off a strip of meat with his teeth.

" 'Tunnel-Heads?' " She repeated, biting her lips. Then she jumped as Kannon swatted Nappa across the back of his head.

"She doesn't want to hear that! You wanna scare the poor girl!?" She exclaimed, as Nappa rubbed his head and grumbled.

"I was just trying to lighten the mood!"

"By talk of your good old purging days?!" Kannon snapped, but Launch stopped her by clearing her throat delicately.

"That's not necessary, Miss Pinchie. I know what my Raditz has done and I am not appalled by it. I can handle some stories of blood and guts, after all, I myself was a bandit, and many times I woke up from a shoot-out with blood on my hands. It was not my intention to ever hurt anyone, but I understand that Raditz had to do what he must in order to meet Frieza's demands." The small girl said, her chin lifted into the air, and the Saiyans all around her looked on with wide eyes. Launch looked back down at her meat and took another bite, as Nappa relaxed his shoulders and chuckled softly, patting Kannon on the back, who still had her arms crossed obstinately.

"See that, sweet-cakes? A Saiyan's guts!" He said proudly, and the others all agreed, and tore back into their meat. Kannon lowered her head, turning her piece in her hands with uncertainty.

"...Launch, I... I'm sorry you had to go through all that. It's my fault, really. I'm a terrible mother."Kannon said lowly, her emerald eyes solemn. Launch looked up, with a tiny smile on her face, and shook her head.

"Don't be sorry! You did what you had to as well. Raditz explained it to me...I understand you also had to do what you did to survive, and I don't hate you for that! I am where I am now because of what happened, and I wouldn't change a thing if that meant I could never live at Master Roshi's, or meet Raditz and you all!" Launch said, and Kannon looked on at her daughter in wonder. Nappa smiled, and formed a fist over his heart, pumping it twice. "Welcome to the family, Launch." He said, and the other saiyans all echoed him, "Welcome, Launch," and pounded their breastplates. Launch blinked, and slowly recognized the gesture as one she had seen Raditz do. She formed a fist and returned the salute, smiling.

"Thank you all, I am happy to be with my people." She said warmly, then lowered her fist and sighed, placing one hand over her stomach. Kannon's eyes widened, as she looked back to Nappa and he blinked, not knowing what Kannon was trying to imply with her eyes. Launch placed one hand over her mouth and stifled herself, squeezing her eyes shut.

"What's wrong?!" Kannon said urgently, and rushed to her side before realizing what she was doing.

"Kannon-" A female said, as Zenaya and Rachanā suddenly stood up.

"What's going on with her?" Bdakka grunted gruffly, and Onioan turned his head to look on curiously. Candor stood, his slate grey eyes hardening as he sniffed the air. There was a low sound, and Launch backed away from Kannon, shielding her face, her tail bristling.

"Is she in heat?" Nappa blurted out, and one of the females shook her head.

"No, I'm afraid she's _not_ in heat, General."

"Well, what _is_ it?" He questioned gruffly, and stood up quickly. He instinctively looked to Candor, who stepped closer, his nostrils flared, tail bristling.

"This female is starved. She will become feral if she does not eat enough to support the pup inside." He stated out loud, and Kannon turned to gaze at him in shock, Nappa taking in the information with a gasp.

"My daughter- Is with a child?" He said, gulping, and Zenaya was the one to step forth, her dark russet eyes sorrowful.

"This is why we did not carry children on Planet Vegeta. One of the reasons. She must eat twice the required diet if she is to survive. A saiyan woman with child requires a high calorie, high protein diet of meat and vegetables that I'm afraid does not exist on this planet." She said, coming up to Candor's side and looking at him in question. "..Unless of course, we had the nutrient serum from our ships. But even that would not be enough. She must eat quickly, or the child will begin eating **her**." He said gravely, and Nappa nodded. He walked forward without fear, and pulled Kannon off of Launch with one hand.

"Stay back, Pinchie. It's not safe."

"But, Nappa-" She argued, and he shoved himself forth to where Launch was curled on the ground, her eyes squeezed shut as she growled. He bent down, and swept her up into his arms, then turned and kissed Kannon. She looked down at Launch cradled against his breastplate, and sighed.

"I'll take care of her, don't worry. We'll get this pup the food it needs, then she'll feel better, alright? Don't worry. You're in charge while I'm gone, alright? Got that, everyone? Listen to Kannon."

"Hurry up, then! Don't be a dope!" Kannon huffed, and spun on her heel.

Nappa nodded, and lifted off the ground slowly at first, levitating, then blasted into the sky.

Kannon looked up, her eyes swimming, as the other females stepped forth, making soft purring sounds in their chests. Kannon looked back, startled by the odd sounds. "It's alright," Rachanā purred, reaching out to take her hand. Kannon attempted to tug her hand back, but Zenaya stopped her, by biting her arm. Kannon froze stiff, and Zenaya released her, not leaving a single drop of blood.

"You must not worry yourself. That is not the Saiyan way. You must have faith that your mate can stop this." Zenaya said, and Kannon nodded, "You're right." She said, before breaking down into tears. The women looked to each other with sympathy, and held her. For them, shedding tears for one's mate was only reserved for mourning. So they attempted to quell her sobs the only way they knew how, by comforting, and using their healing purrs to help her. Candor and Bdakka looked on curiously, their eyes intently focused on their females, tails twitching.

Candor watched Zenaya, and tilted his head, then the stoic warrior too, made a soft rumble of question.

* * *

The wind ruffled Launch's soft blue curls as Nappa flew with her cradled in his arms, his teeth grit as he wished desperately that he knew more about this planet's resources, but instead when he and Vegeta had arrived they'd come in blasting, instead of scoping out the area first like Raditz had always bothered them to do; insisting that they examine the planet's worth thoroughly before destroying anything.

Nappa knew the signs to look for, though. Sustenance could be found in areas with thick vegetation, and water. He barreled across the city, knowing that there was nothing there of use unless he felt like robbing a grocery store, which wasn't wise at the moment with an incapacitated Launch. So he flew as fast as possible, towards the edge of the forest he could see in the distance, inwardly hoping all the while that it would be enough for her.

He at last landed by the river, and set Launch down carefully in the grass, looking down at her with uncertainty as she squirmed and growled in her sleep. He eyed her blue tail, and frowned, before squatting, and hesitantly reaching for it. He grasped for her tail and it escaped his grip, then batted around wildly and frizzled as she snarled low like a small frightened animal, holding her stomach where the Saiyan child inside was gnawing. Nappa at last captured the tail, and with a look of remorse, squeezed it in his fist just slightly, enough to weaken her, and Launch quieted with a whimper, before falling into a deep sleep, her features relaxing. Nappa watched her a moment, and brushed the back of his knuckles across her hair, moving it away from her pale face. He pulled his hand back and sniffed it, then shook his head.

His instincts told him to groom her, but Nappa was past listening to his Saiyan instincts; he knew when and when not to go by those ancient primal laws, and though he did wish to soothe his daughter, he had learned long ago to abide by other customs as needed, and right now, he knew that feeding her the most highly nutritious meal was more important, and to do that he first needed to catch it. Nappa turned and looked up at the waterfall, seeing the salmon swimming upstream, then a dark shadow as the largest of the river life swam circles in the pool below, perhaps too large and too ancient to make the journey upstream.

Nappa huffed and removed his armour, not wishing to get it wet. He stretched, cracking his knuckles, then glanced back at Launch. He felt it would be neglect to leave her there while he went fishing, so he hefted her up onto his back, and latched his tail around her. Nappa knew she would be fine; not only because she was part Saiyan, and they could hold their breath for long periods of time, but also because she was part Neptunian Gemini, and she was more than capable of living underwater.

"Hope you're ready, squirt. This may be a bumpy ride," He said, watching as Launch snoozed against his shoulder contentedly.

He smiled, and made sure his tail was secure around her, then dove headfirst into the water.

Launch felt the cold water hit her body, and flinched, lost in a dream state as her body attempted to protect itself from the child inside. _Why is it so cold?_ She quivered, unknowingly gripping Nappa around the chest with her arms as she slept, the translucent fins that were natural to her own people only visible when immersed in natural sources of water showing from her wrists.

Flashes of light, bubbles. The feeling of sinking, down farther into the depths, red water. Boy lost his mother; separated. Falling. Fear spiked through her senses, and her fingers gripped him tighter, the nails elongating.

Nappa grunted as he swam, feeling Launch's nails in his skin. He looked back to her and saw her blue brows furrowed, then resolve formed in his eyes. He had to catch the fish quickly. Nappa made himself silent as his body glided across the sandy bottom of the river, looking up at the dark shadow making circles near the surface. The salmon was indeed fully grown to the limits that the body of water would allow; from it's head to tail, it must have amassed at least six feet in length, and it's slender body, at least two to four in girth. Collected around it's belly were orange spheres like miniature dragon balls. Roe; eggs it was spawning in bubbles on the water's surface as it swam. Nappa grinned, knowing that the roe would be just as nutritious for his daughter's growing pup, and he carefully swam up.

_Mother said not to wander._

_We mustn't play too close to the water's edge, she said._

Launch froze; hearing a strange voice echoing through her mind.

_What's in the water for a Saiyan to fear?_

He laughed.

_Danger, there's dangers here._

She saw a massive form in her mind's eye, and gasped, _Raditz?! ...No. _The man turned, his long, black spiky locks floating in the water.

_Would you tell him I said thank you? Please. Tell Nappa for me. I miss him dearly._ The man said softly, and smiled, his dark eyes glistening with tears.

_Who are you?_ Launch managed to ask.

_My name...I... cannot recall my name, it has been so long. Last I remember, Nappa cried it out, then, black! _He whispered, his cracked black bracers coming up, his thick hands grabbing at the roots of his mane. He has a domed forehead like Nappa, covered by messy forelocks, no widow's peak like Raditz, but if she knew any better, she'd say this man was a long lost twin. His eyes are softer than Nappa's hard glare, as he looks up, somber.

_I died on the battlefield, but the water was my first grave. My third grave, I was buried with the piece of my armour long ago, when Nappa was finally able to allow his heart to let me go._

_A Saiyan man's honor tells us not to cry for those we have lost. But my mother. She was eaten by the beast in the water._

Launch felt her pain welling within her heart for this stranger, and reached out for him. Her hand was offered across the crimson water to the man, but he seemed to balk slightly in fear of it.

_It's ok. I won't hurt you. _She said, and smiled at him.

_I'm hungry. I'm sorry, so hungry. _The man said gruffly, and hunched his shoulders, wrapping his burly arms covered in black leather bands, his dark red and black battle armour riddled with cracks and punctures.

_I'm so tired, when can I rest? Has it been three centuries already? My soul is dying out. My body, where is my body!_

He chanted, his teeth clicking together, and Launch lowered her hand, allowing her tears to flow for his tormented soul.

_My mind has been long gone. I cannot remember even the sweet smell of my mother._

_Every time I close my eyes, darkness there. The acrid stench._

_Burning bodies in masses on the horizon. Death. Black smoke, blocking out the sky._

_Why were we searching there?_

_Gone... All of them, Gone..._

Launch frowned, tilting her head. The man stared right through her it seemed, to a terrible horizon, where terror haunted his eyes, and she could no longer bear to watch him suffer. Launch opened her arms, offering him an embrace.

_I can tell you are special. You're such a sweet man, like my Raditz. I'm sure that Nappa misses you as well. Come here, come home with me. It's ok._

Launch whispered to him, her arms out wide in welcome, as the shadows surrounding him swarmed and seemed to try and consume him.

_Do you know my name? Are you my mother?_ The man cried, and Launch frowned, her eyes filled with tears.

_I'm so lonely. Infinity is so cold. I did not die a warrior's death. I could not die a warrior's death. _His teeth chattered, as he curled into a ball, hugging himself.

_Saavoy_. Launch whispered, and he froze, his eyes wide, shock radiating through the water as the word hit his ears.

_Saavoy_. She repeated, and his shocked state of confusion seemed to wane.

_Can you hear me? Is that your name? _She said, and he nodded just barely, his eyes, unsure.

_I think... I... It's been so long since I've been called that name_. He got up slowly, his dark mane blanketed around his form as he stared off with a distant gaze, then glanced back behind him in fear.

_He's here! _He shouted, then curled back into a dark shell, smoke and tendrils of dark hair swirling around him, until the black hole shrunk, and Launch gasped, gulping down water, her body tensing as it felt the cold surrounding her. Then, air, as Nappa surfaced, walking up onto the shore with the large salmon. He tossed it down onto the ground, and reached around for Launch, seeing she was still asleep, he decided to let her stay resting on his back, as he squatted down and got to work.

The next time that Launch stirred, it was to a very pungent aroma in her nostrils. She murmured, then struggled a bit, wriggling as Nappa was sitting by a fire, turning a spit. He looked back and grinned, "Hey, you're awake! Hope you're hungry! I've got fish here, some cloves of garlic and leafy greens, fresh fish eggs! All jam-packed with nutrients!" He said cheerfully, and loosed his tail. Launch dropped to the ground on her bottom with a grunt, then got to her feet, rubbing her rear as she wandered back over to the fire. Her stomach was roaring for sustenance, so she nodded, and sat across from him.

"Thank you.. It all smells... very _robust_. I'm really hungry!" Launch said perkily with a smile, which wavered only slightly as Nappa laughed, and handed her a segment of salmon stuffed right full of green and white ingredients. He had removed the internal organs, and stuffed the body cavity right full with greens, nutritious roots and garlic. She gulped, feeling uneasy about its contents, but her Saiyan nature told her this was exactly what she needed to feel better.

"Welcome! A female with child needs her strength!" Nappa said, grinning widely. Launch sniffed the fish once more, then tore off a large section and chewed it quickly, as he chuckled heartily. She gulped, then looked back to see he hadn't taken any for himself.

"Aren't you going to have some?" She said, taking another large piece, and feeling guilty about eating it so ravenously. Nappa shook his head, "Nah. That's all for you, I already ate." He said with a sharp sigh, standing to put his teal and gold armour back on. Launch looked at the spread before her, and blushed bashfully at the generous meal he'd made for her.

"How can I possibly eat _all this?" _She said, narrowing her shoulders and feeling little under the big man's glare.

"Heh! Believe me! Even a little gal like you can eat that! We Saiyans digest food and absorb nutrients _very_ quickly. Hasn't Raditz been making sure you're eating right?" He said, with an accusatory tone.

"Oh, Raditz is always telling me I should eat more. I suppose I should have listened, because now this little one isn't happy." She said, placing one hand on the slight curve of her stomach. Nappa diverted his eyes, feeling an odd sense of pride in him as she stroked her stomach, where his grandchild was growing.

"Yes, saiyan children need to eat a lot, and very often. That's why you should have put the child in a pod, but.. It's ok. As long as you keep it well fed." Nappa said, and pulled the last strap of his armour tight, before sitting back down across from her, and looking with approval to see she had already done away with a quarter of the fish. "I'll try my best, Mister.. Nappa.. sir." She said timidly, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. Nappa rubbed his goatee with his hand and smiled.

"No need for formal greetings, just call me Nappa. Or even, 'Pops' if you want. Heheh. That's what Raditz calls me." He said with a grin, and Launch nodded, but didn't answer, her mind going back to the dream she had underwater; or whatever it was.

She was deep in thought, remembering the words he had said to her, and was reminded of something important.

"Oh! This man...Saavoy told me to tell you he says thank you. He said, thank you for burying him, he misses you dearly." She said, smiling to cover her uncertainty. Nappa was silent a moment, blinking dumbfoundedly.

"Wh... What?" He stuttered, his gaze struck with pained confusion. Launch put one finger to her chin and thought about it.

"Yes... He is very sad where he is now. I talked to him a little while ago, but he wouldn't come with me. He seemed scared of whatever it was there with him." She said solemnly, looking down at the bare fish carcass she had eaten clean. Nappa stared down at his calloused hands, as he laced his fingers together and sighed deeply.

"Saavoy is my older brother...well, was. But, he died a very long time ago. Unfortunately, he was slain without the chance to defend himself. He couldn't die a warrior's death, so he was unable to go onto the Great Warrior's Rest. I don't know, I suppose he's trapped in Infinite Hell." He said, and frowned deeply.

"I'm so sorry to hear that, it must be terrible for him...

Launch said, and looked to Nappa with sympathy, stroking circles around her stomach, dazzling golden sparkle coming from her hand in as it made streaks across her belly.

"What's that?" Nappa said as he eyed her, and Launch looked down, pulling back her hand. "Oh, I didn't realize I was doing it!" She gasped, holding her hand.

"I felt like he was hurting." She said, and Nappa grunted in understanding, slowly coming to sit beside her on the ground. He hesitated a moment, as Launch slightly flinched under his shadow.

"...May I?" He said, and Launch stared up into her father's mournful eyes.

"Yes." She nodded, and grasped his large hand in both of hers to place it on her belly. Nappa rested his hand there, and closed his eyes. He felt a warmth flickering on the fringes of his senses, and sighed deeply, as Launch's small hands showed him precisely where to feel.

"Oh!" She gasped, and Nappa chuckled.

"What was that!?" She exclaimed, having felt movement in her abdomen.

"A punch! Heheh," Nappa laughed, his eyes sparkling as Launch giggled with him.

"Goodness, he's strong!" She said, and Nappa nodded in agreement, his grin creasing his cheeks.

"Well, that's a son of Bardock's blood, alright!" He said, and Launch tilted her head. "..Who?" She murmured, and he moved his hand away to let it dangle between his scuffed up knees.

"Raditz never mentioned him...? Well. I suppose I could see why, his father was hard to like... But he was tough, tell you what! Funny, I never would have thought my blood would mix with that of the Zühn's." Nappa said thoughtfully, stroking his chin, and Launch smiled contentedly.

"I'm so happy to be a part of Goku's family! And now Chi-Chi and I can be sister-in-laws!" She said chipperly, even though Nappa seemed slightly confused. He didn't realize that the Saiyan name 'Zühn', was very close in pronunciation to 'Son'.

He stood, noticing the Eclipse had moved higher up into the sky, and reached for Launch's hand.

"Come on, we've been gone awhile. Your mother will start shooting off if I don't get back soon." Launch nodded, taking his hand, and jumping up easily into the sky. Nappa seemed remiss as the girl opted to fly on her own instead of getting on his back, pouting slightly.

"Well, let's get going, Pops!" She said, and he jumped in mid-air slightly, then chuckled bashfully, his ears reddening as Launch spun around in the air playfully, feeling rejuvenated, she sped off away from her father, and he froze up a moment, not knowing what to do.

"Are you a slow-poke?" She said, and he growled, quickly blasting up in the air after her. "I ain't slow, you little twerp!" He growled, and they made two white streaks across the red sky.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: My apologies for not catching up with Vegeta and Bulma in this chapter, but it's already very long. I will write a nice segment for them in the next chapter, but all he is doing right now is recovering, so you can kind of guess how that would go. I hope you all enjoyed! Also, if there is confusion about this new character, Saavoy, don't worry! There will be more about him later. If you read A Runt Named Raditz, you should remember him. Hopefully the next chapter won't take long to write. Thank you for reading everyone!


	32. Between Paranoia & Pleasure

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SURPRISE! This is a special chapter! Bulma and Vegeta fans, rejoice! I began writing their next part, and I just couldn't stop, so I hope you all enjoy this special romantic (lemon) chapter. Certain parts are reminiscent of events in A Runt Named Raditz, other parts are from solely Vegeta's POV, I took some artistic liberties and played a bit with poetry-like language. I really hope it comes across well. Sorry to anyone who wanted a full chapter, I will do my best to catch up with all the other characters very soon. Please, let me know what you thought!
> 
> *UPDATE* It's my pleasure to have had the help of Lachanophobic here to polish up this chapter a bit, and refine certain areas. Go read their fic Clepsydra, if you love Vegebul! 😘

_ Hazy. Dizzy. The blood flowers circling all around me. I can only blink lazily, pupils unfocused. Watching the red sky whirling overhead, blood pools down my vision, bitter copper taste on my lips. _

_ Milk taste, bitter faced. Mother thrust me away from her, what was I, but a child to do when she, who loved me, disposed of me so easily? My tongue still wet with mother's milk, I was thrown down into the filth. My father, alone, saved me. The foul witch that had made me, she longed for another woman's baby. Broly. _

_ I watched men beheaded for lesser crimes, seen throats sliced open wide, as a child I sat on father's knee, watching he. Who would I be? Would I be that Prince, the title they all had given me? Could I be the mightiest, the righteous? Burning up; the memories... They haunt me. Day and night my thoughts are vexed. _

_ Who are you, cool blue woman on a dark silky canopy? Feeding me the fruit that mother gave me, her hands soft like peach fuzz flesh, caressed in fine gloves. Love. She gives me power, all wrapped up in high red flowers. Silly woman with her head buzzing, up all hours, the night is ours... _

The glow of fluorescent lights illuminates her white coat like a moth fluttering from lamp to lamp. Bulma squeezes a clamp, adjusts a dial on the device she has running, its bewitching blue light laminating her goggles with its incandescence.

"If I can only squeeze out the essence," She murmured, leaning over the table where a suit of armour is stretched, pulled to its limit, as she takes a dropper, with a silvery, metallic fluid inside; its hue is like the milkiest part of the galaxy, as she squeezes the plastic bulb, and just a drop falls onto the center of the suit, and washes out in waves, leaving a sparking opalescence over the white breastplate for just a moment, before fading, and hardening.

Bulma screws the dropper back into the bottle, labeled 'metallic component 0.1', and sighs, leaning up against the table just a moment, before backing away, removing her fingers before the large steel block, molten hot, can drop. She cringes, crossing her fingers, as the suit is crushed within. The block whirs, shuddering, and Bulma seems alarmed, backing up another step to reach the emergency button if need be. The gears clunk and grind together erratically, sparks flying, making a dissonant sound as the steel block crashes to the table, crumbling on impact. Bulma gasped, her heart racing as her feet left the floor, and the massive block exploded outward, fiery hot chunks of molten metal flying. The lava like-substance oozed out over the suit, as if it were fireproof. Bulma exhaled, then giggled as the emergency sprinklers turned on.

"Idiot! What the hell were you thinking?!" Vegeta seethes, not impressed. Bulma's gaze is watching how the lava flows over the suit, and she takes a deep breath, a tiny smile of success still on her angelic face, before inhaling, her chest rising, and turning to the bandaged man holding her.

"Will you give it a rest! Get back to bed!" She shrieked, making his shoulders tense just slightly, he adjusts her in his arms, before stepping forward.

"Yes, yes, 'rest, take your pills, piss in this cup', I heard you the last time, woman." He snarled, as she began to struggle to get out of his arms, her frizzy hair now drenched, makeup wrecked.

"It's for your  _ own _ good!" She grumbled, then pinched a specific, very sensitive area on his chest. Vegeta flinched, and released her from his arms, seeing that the lava had blackened from the ice cold sprinklers raining down onto the laboratory, water running out the floor drains as she ran to go inspect her work. Vegeta rubbed at his pectoral, grumbling that he would get her back later as he followed.

"Look, Vegeta! My experiment was a complete success! Your new armour is now the best I've ever made!" She said happily, picking up the white and blue suit, with a new style, lacking bulky shoulder pads, or leg pads. Vegeta hummed with interest, taking the pant leg and stroking the slippery fabric.

"Hn. We will have to put it under vigorous tests to know for sure. Now, let's get the hell out of this mess." He snorted, slinging it over his shoulder. Bulma smirked and followed behind, grabbing his tail and swinging it around like a jump rope. Vegeta cringed and squatted to his knees, long enough for her to snatch the suit back, and run away, giggling all the while.

" _ You-you _ little ** thief,** get back here with that!" He growled, holding his stomach where the sword wound still ached, wrapped and taped up well with an ace bandage.

_ "Na-Na-Na-Na boo-boo stick your head in poo-poo!" _ She sang, and he made a roar of his discontent; chasing the little woman through the slick floors of the massive lab, whirling around the great machines, greasy with oil. Dodging dangling chords, he followed that subtle scent that spoke to him, hearing her quick footsteps, and the small huffs of her breath, even across the span of the below-ground capsule corporation laboratory; where the dimmed lights flickered, and red warning lights cast shadows over the masses of metal and made masquerade faces, the pain, aching in his neck like a brace, tight around his throat.

Vegeta stiffened, as a bright, white spotlight came on up overhead, and a haunting sound stormed through his senses, as Bulma played, howling like a wolf.

" _ Ow-Awoo! _ Can you find me? Are you scared? Come on, pussycat!" She echoed, but Vegeta was frozen, staring up at the light.

_ A ring... a blinding ring of light. Flashes of red. Metal doors, slammed shut. _

_ "Get me out of here! I have to get out!"  _

He shuddered, tension rippling down his back, and making each hair stick straight up on his wet black tail.

_ "Stay still, this will only hurt a hair, a pinch, then that's it."  _

_They chuckled._ _"Listen to the doctor! He is _**_only_**_ trying to help you!" A curdled voice. Black, fleshy wet lips. "Why, you seem so _**_scared_**_! It's only a _**_routine_**_ procedure!"_

"Vegeta? Where'd you go?"

_ It was only a few days ago. I had a strange itch that started at the base of my tail. Then it followed up, branching up my back. It makes it hard to sleep at night. Sometimes I have attacks. I just stop breathing. _

_ Burning red, the ache. It was my first stage of growth. The penumbra of my pain, radiated out through my brain. I would dream at night, things that I never thought would return to me. Tongue lapping, drinking up milk. Milk was the cure, but I don't have it anymore. I remember why now, mother hit me because she was sore. _

_ _

_ The wolves howling, drowning out the hum of the red moon, when our city was attacked. I was so young then. But that was the first time I felt that knot in my back. As if my tail were receding in; in sheer terror. Curled up, and whipping back and forth under my veins. _

_ _

_ "These pills will numb the pain."  _

_ _

_ "You can't be serious? Prince Vegeta's in the infirmary again?"  _

_ _

_ "This is the third time this week. It was late last night. I heard him screaming."  _

_ _

_ Hot. Sweltering hot, vision is wavering. Feel my pupils expanding, blood flow, intensifying. _

_ _

_ "What you have is what we call 'phantom asphyxiation,' when paranoia eats through one's senses, symptoms become stronger, voices, visions, your illusions are getting longer."  _

_ _

_ But I saw it! Men in blood coats. Black shadows, wrapped like wings! They come at night, shrieking! Keeping me awake, they're crawling by the door! _

_ _

_ "You're wrong, there are none of these, dream things. It's all in your imagination."  _

_ _

"Vegeeeta? Sweetie?"

_ It was then, I felt the knife, twisting in my back! Digging, searching for the source! Gods that wouldn't unhand me! Monsters, to the table they had strapped me! _

_ "Isn't that so very strange?"  _

_ _

_ "Filthy monkeys, what diseased animals!"  _

_ _

_ I screamed, when they pulled it out-what it was that was so incredibly strange. Night crawlers! Burrowed in my back, and nesting in my spine! I was right. All this time! _

Vegeta looks back, his fluorescent red eyes, glowing, as the white spotlight washes over him, casting a black shadow onto Bulma. She takes a hesitant step back, blue orbs illuminated like crystal balls, laced with lashes. Vegeta's mouth of sharp teeth, gnashes. He's drenched, the red mark on his neck, throbbing, as he takes another step. There is a loud thud, as the sprinkler system shuts down, and red water lit up by the warning lights drizzles down, white sparks buzzing from outlets, as his foot makes a splash.

_ Shadow hunters, they stalked my bedroom at night. Watching through red eerie lights, their sweet curdled breath, hot fur, tickling me. I closed the door to keep out any more, but the blood cloaks followed me. Their red palmed hands wrap around my face, suffocating me. _

_ _

_ Mother, don't you love me?  _

"Sweetie?" Bulma whispers huskily, reaching her hands out, black latex gloves, shiny.

_ Father, brushed back my bloody bangs from my brow and kissed me. My wound, inflicted by my own mother. Black dress, her hands reaching out, tilting her pale neck as she begged me. _

"Vegeta? It's me... " Bulma said shakily, as he took another step, and huffed, moisture coming off him in puffs of steam, the whites of his eyes starkly lit, as the warning lights at last were hit. Switches flicking down on an automated timer.

_ Darkness. I smell her. Heat coming off a small, fragile body. Wetness bringing out her essence. The ache curls up in my lower back, where the bloody gnat's teeth had dug. Worm blood. Too putrid for even a mother to love. _

"Sweetie... It's wet. And I'm cold. We should get you back to bed." She whispered, and Vegeta answered her with a guttural purr, his primal blood brought out by the fluorescent light, like cool moonlight on ocean blue tresses, whirling vixens in royal blue dresses. She quivered in the dark, as the slow, flickering light of sparks rained down, liquid lightning.

"It's not safe for me, here... Every surface is a hazard. I could be electrocuted," Bulma gulped, as she watched the grainy shadows, her eyes squinting hard to make out what was moving. She quivered, her cold clothes crumpled and slick to her skin as he whispered.

"Since that night, I've been afraid to bite." Vegeta whispered, and heat suddenly surrounded her.

"Even though my spinal surgery was a success, what they pulled out was a disgusting... mess of putrid worms...I didn't think I could bring myself to... to sink my teeth in your flesh." His hot hands clutched her hips, and she jolted, feeling a dull aching pain in her lower back, as the unmarked mating spot glowed crimson red.

"What mess? Vegeta?" Bulma gasped, clutching him back.

"Back when I was still trapped underneath Frieza's claws. I was just a boy, when on a strange planet, a parasite bit it's way into my back, and burrowed all the way up into my neck, leaving an egg sac. I was infected. The secretion that the nest rested in, was mental poison. It caused delirium, paranoia, delusions of grandeur." He shuddered, leaning his mouth into the hollow of her neck as he panted.

"The infection made wreckage on my prepubescent body, stunted my growth. Because I was nothing more than a  _ worthless _ 'purge monkey', I went weeks and weeks like that. Every night I had sleep attacks. It sucked my blood, and fed on it until I was so weak I could barely roll out of bed. That thing... It got into my head." He muttered, his body quivering, blood pulsing in his fingertips so quickly they felt like they were vibrating against the small of her back.

Bulma sighed softly, as she backed up onto a slick metal table, still wet, cool. Vegeta followed, pressing his hips between her white legs, stark in the darkness.

"It sounds so terrible... how horrible that must have been... And would you say, you still feel that phantom pain today?" Bulma's voice curled low, as she breathed down his bandages, her cool brow resting on his chest.

"...Yes. When I'm at rest, when I'm fighting. My back will never be the same. It caused horrible growing pains... No wonder I couldn't have been... more like,"

"Shh, let's not think too much about what could have been, or what happened..." She said, reaching up tentatively, her small hands searching for his face in the dark. Vegeta sighed and pushed his face into the cradle of her hands, gently nuzzling with a thick grumbling sound rolling from his sternum.

"You like me.. just the way I am? What if I could have been a taller man, a 'nicer' man?" He softly sneered, and her nose crinkled up as she thought the description reminded her of Goku, and disliked to think of him that way.

"No, silly. When did you get so goofy?" She giggled softly, and he grumbled in response, bumping his hips into hers. "When you bewitched me," He chuckled, "Ever since that dark night, when you first vexed me with your tight red skirt, and that heavy fruity smell, and you let me; the wolf lick the sweetness from your cupped little hand..." He rasped, sultry words dripping from his lips as Bulma's lashes fluttered, closing her eyes as he took her chin in his hand, lightly brushing his nose with hers. "Then you sniffed me," She said in a tiny voice, and squealed as he surged forth and chuckled, seizing her by the hips and squeezing them at the tantalizing memory.

"Yes, I remember your vulgar smell, how could I forget, the silly woman who became so highly aroused just from being  _ licked _ ," Bulma smirked, tilting her head back, and lowering her shoulders, allowing her lab coat to slip off them. Vegeta's pupils widened as he took in the sight of the tiny blue velvet tank top that barely kept her plush breasts from spilling out, and the red silk skirt, same as that night. "Undress me," She whispered, and he snickered, pulling away. Bulma's knees knocked together, frightened as his shadow was lost once again to the darkness. "Is it that easy to make demands,  _ princess?" _

_ Light! _ Sparks splash down in the dark.

" **Catch** me." He chuckled, and was gone. Bulma shivered, her eyes wide, searching. She stood, shakily, her ankles feeling as weak as a newborn calves, as she hesitantly took one step forward, into a shimmering puddle, with her suede blue heel. She allowed her lab coat to fall to the floor, wrapping her hands around her goose-fleshed arms.

Stepped forth once more; her adrenaline pumping through her body and making it quiver with excitement, danger. Her eyes were wide, searching the dark shadows of the lab. She walked slowly, carefully over the fallen chords, avoiding the puddles, and stepping on the dry patches, her black latex glove sliding down a shiny metal countertop. She gripped it, and swung her legs up onto it, her heels clicking as she landed there, to safety. She paused, watching the darkness, honing in to all the tiny sounds around her. The hiss of steam from hot machines, the dripping of water being quickly evaporated away, as the lab protocol switched into order, shutting down all electrical systems, and blowing hot air through the facility to dry out what machines could be saved. Then, she felt it. A gentle buzzing in the back of her skull.

_ Come find me, Bulma. I'm waiting... _ Vegeta seethed teasingly into her mind, in a seductive voice that sent warmth flooding through her, jolts shooting down her firm thighs, and tingling there, as she carefully moved one delicately arched foot before the other, and turned her head side to side, mentally scoping out the entire lab from memory.

The mark on her back glowed bright crimson, and made his light in return, from where he reclined, relaxed in an old model plane, his wet clothes hanging off the door as he swiped his tongue across his lips in the dark. The pain still burned in his veins, but it was mixing delightfully with his desire, burning so hot to the point that it did not irritate him as badly as before, as he rested one hand on his abdomen, barely able to keep himself from stroking his exposed erection, resting against his abdomen, as he grinned; hoping that she would like what she saw.

Bulma inhaled, and made a heavy sigh with her annoyance, hopping down from the long counter, and into the vehicle lot, where many old models of hers sat, collecting dust like a museum of all her adventures long past.  _ Bulma _ . He whispered in a laughing tone, and she whirled around quickly, her heart racing. She turned quickly, feeling her legs slipping together with her anxious arousal, her breath coming in hard and heavy as she felt as if she were chasing him, and would never find him.

_ "Vegeta!" _ She wailed, growing desperate.

"I'm  _ right _ here, woman." He purred, and pulled her into the old hover plane. The hatch door slammed shut behind them, and she gasped as he pulled her up into his lap, and she felt the hotness of his flesh against hers.

"You bastard," She sneered playfully, then moaned as he snatched her up against him, and kissed her, his fingers buried in the fine materials she wore, as she quickly grabbed for his shoulders, gripping them for support as she rocked herself up against him and growled into his lips. Vegeta pulled back, smirking at her frustrated sounds, they paused to pant, foreheads pressed to one another as they stared into half-lidded eyes.

Vegeta pushed her shirt up, feeling the soft skin of her back and stroking it, where the red circle just tucked into the hem of her skirt glowed at the junction of hip and back, in the divots of her voluptuous backside. His breath shuddered as he felt there, squeezing his eyes shut; not wanting to inflict that same kind of haunting pain onto her. Bulma noticed his tension, and looked up, taking his face in her hands, and pressing her lips onto his forehead firmly. Vegeta shivered. She felt the shivering in his body, and wrapped her arms around him, squeezing him tightly, she pulled back, and looked down, seeing his pupils that had grown large and reflective in the dim light, as moisture pooled there but refused to rush forth.

"Honey, what's wrong?" She whispered, tracing her fingernails down his throat, he visibly gasped, baring his throat to her. Bulma saw the glowing anomaly there, and felt terrible for inflicting that type of pain on him, she leaned forward, and kissed it tenderly, making him sigh with relief, as her tender kisses soothed the ache. Bulma pulled back, seeing how it had now calmed down into a shining pink ring of teeth marks. Vegeta smiled up at her, visibly relieved, his eyes half lidded as she looked on in surprise.

He moved closer, and kissed her neck like she had, stroking his hands up her back, and pulling away her shirt, his hands overflowing with her pale breasts as he gently worked them in his hands, staring down at her as he did. Bulma got onto her knees, and he pulled the zipper of her silk skirt down, and removed it, leaving a gauzy pair of dark blue panties like a second skin. Vegeta pushed her into the bench seat of the hover plane, making her gasp, as he buried his face into the panties that barely concealed the shape of her to him, and sucked the wet fabric in between his teeth, tearing them away easily as she giggled; stripped of the thin underwear, as he smirked, and spat them out onto the floor, then returned to the crook of her legs, and swiped his tongue up her cleft.

Bulma shuddered, placing one heel on his shoulder, as he held her by her backside, and pulled her body up to his face, dragging his tongue up her center, achingly slow, then dipped it inward, and tickled her tender bud with the tip of his tongue. Bulma moaned heavily, and gripped his hair by the roots, pulling him deeper as he continued the delicate dance of his hot tongue on her delicate warmth, sucking her sweetness in his mouth and drawing her blood through the tiny bundle of blood vessels, making her head toss back, squeezing his skull between her powerful thighs as he continued his torture, before releasing her from his mouth, and kissing her there gently, nuzzling his nose into the sweet warmth of ocean blue curls as her purred his lips around her.

"I can't take it anymore!" She gasped, and pushed him back, watching as he licked his lips, his eyes looking wild for that split second as she challenged him, dragging her palms down his stomach, sweetly stroking down his bandages, and attending to his aching erection standing out, and straining towards her as she brought her lips to his tip, and licked, making him jerk his hips with tension. Bulma's eyes widened as she stroked around his groin, feeling the thick black hair that wasn't there before, and looking up at him with a look of puzzlement.

Vegeta simply smirked down smugly at her, clearly waiting for her to do whatever she wanted with him. He stroked one hand down the back of her short hair, then took a sharp intake of breath, as she quickly sunk him into her mouth, her lips wrapping around him. His knees buckled from the sudden change in temperature, the heat of her tenderly suctioning mouth making him growl, wanting to push her away for fear he would give in too soon, but Bulma came back quickly, her head bobbing naughtily as he closed his eyes and stroked her hair, biting his moans back by sinking his teeth in his lip.

"Bulma," He groaned, and she released him, backing away quickly and wiping her mouth, her devious eyes sparkling up at him from over her arm. Vegeta surged forward, pushing her down into the cushion, and grabbing her legs, wrapping them forcefully around himself as he thrust into her passionately. Bulma gasped, her breath lost, and frantically grabbed for his shoulders, her nails gripping for support, as Vegeta began to move against her just as forcefully, wet flesh slick with their saliva; making a erotic kiss with her nether lips sheathing all around him. Vegeta smirked, watching her pleased face, knowing that was exactly what his woman was daring him to do with her devilish gestures; coaxing him into taking her body without too much delicacy, mounting her roughly like the wild vixen he knew her to be.

Bulma cried, "Oh, Kami!" her legs flailing, as he moved them back around him, growling at her outburst, he flipped her around and slapped her backside hard, so hard that she growled back at him, after moaning. "Vegeta!" She cried, and he snickered, pushing back into her.

"That's right, I'm the one fucking you, not Kami," He chuckled, and she growled into the cushion, "Then just shut up and fuck me!" She said back with just as much attitude, which may come back to bite her in the back, as she quickly realized, gripping the seat and burying her face into it as Vegeta unleashed his passion onto her, his thumb reaching up once again to stroke the little circle shining for him, as he watched himself disappear into her body, flexing his abdomen as he stroked circles on her beautiful bottom, pulsing into her in a fervor, hips snapping, tail lashing, gritting his teeth as each push of his hips pulled him into her further, until he was buried in her. Bulma whimpered, feeling helpless as each grinding of his hips against her softness brought her closer to her climax, feeling the stroking, full sensation of him inside of her was almost enough to make her forget her own name.

"Bulma," Vegeta groaned, panting, then crawling over her, and pulling her hair back to see her face, as he thrust deeper into her, and kissed her throat as he moved slowly, his tail curling and making lazy coils with his pleasure, as he tilted his head back and sighed, eyes rolling back into his skull.

Bulma bucked her hips back onto him, coming up for air, he carried her back onto the other bench seat, and sat down, her facing away, as he brought her down onto his lap. Bulma gasped, sliding down his girth with her surprise, as he spread his legs and arched his hips up to hers, their slick joining exposed for all to see in the dark vehicle, the windows streamed up until they were dripping with condensation.

"Ohh!" Bulma panted, bracing her hands on his legs, as she wriggled herself down onto him, he tossed his head back and moaned passionately through his teeth, unable to contain his pleasure as Bulma took advantage of her position and rode him to her heart's desire, her breasts bouncing with every jerk of their bodies.

Vegeta squeezed her hips, and pulled her up, forcing himself up higher, he took control as she gasped and yelped, her eyes squeezed shut as she gripped his arms for balance, feeling every inch of her was full of his girth, as his thrusts became more intensely felt with each clash of their hips, she felt the bundle of nerves in her sparking with each clash, her head lolling to the side, as he licked and kissed her neck, nibbling there in preparation for when he would have to truly mark her.

Bulma's vision grew hazy as her body grew slack, waves of ecstasy crashing through her, as she heard Vegeta's rough groans in her ear, she whimpered, and clenched her body tight around him. He pulled her down firmly, and sunk into her fully as their bodies shook with climax, Bulma sighed as she felt the warmth flood out, gasping when Vegeta refused to let her go as he jerked his hips, unlike before when he had moved away as quickly as possible.

She whimpered, begging for him not to leave her. Vegeta heard her cry, and turned her face quickly with his hand to kiss her, staring into her eyes, as his eyelids fluttered.

"Bulma, it's time now. " He whispered, then laid her down gently on the seat, pulling away from her carefully with shaking legs. She lifted her head, her eyes sleepy as she stared back at him in wonder.

Vegeta traced his fingertips up her legs, then cupped her bottom, caressing her, as he kissed up her round flesh, and licked the little mark there. Bulma's body spasmed unexpectedly, she moaned, feeling herself throbbing once again with pleasure as Vegeta's tongue slowly licked the strange spot. He sensed her arousal, and spread her legs to dip his fingers into her warmth, his own essence covering them as she shifted back onto his knuckles.

"Good girl," He purred, and kissed the mark. Bulma's body jolted like she was electrified, heat rushing through her as his fingers began to work her back up until she was crying out in pleasure, staring back at him, and pleading with her eyes for him to soothe her needs. Vegeta purred into the spot, and his mouth burst with flavors, he sucked the spot and tasted the ripe flavor of strawberries, and ripe Xenoba fruits, luscious like her cherry lip gloss lips, it tasted so delicious he didn't even remember why he was so afraid to bite her before, he bit into her backside eagerly as she screamed out with her climax, pushing back onto his curling fingers until she came around his hand. Vegeta felt a jolt throughout his body at the same time, his eyes widened as he felt what she felt, and his hips quivered, remnants of his climax still pulsing out as he rested his face on her backside, panting, his tail twitching, arched up from his pale backside. Bulma laid her head down on the cushion, closing her eyes, as her body's tension had all been unwound, her pleasure reaching out to bounds she had never known existed before.

They rested quietly in the afterglow, as Vegeta gently crawled up to lay behind her, and kissed her cheek. Bulma smiled, half asleep, and snuggled into his arms closer, feeling warm and comfortable, with his tail slowly coming around to curl around her waist protectively.

"Mmm," She sighed contentedly, and stroked his tail on her belly, feeling the soft warm fur, as Vegeta reached his arm around and held her tightly, kissing her ear, and nuzzling his nose into his throat.

"I don't know what I would do without you," He murmured softly, and Bulma giggled, "I'd be awfully lonely without you,"

"Hn. Too lonesome, you need me woman, admit it." He rasped, licking her neck just barely. Bulma shrugged her shoulders and turned her face back, kissing his nose, making him flinch back.

"I admit, I need you. I want you so bad I'll go crazy," She teased, feeding his ego playfully. "Go to sleep, crazy woman." He grumbled, and closed his eyes, Bulma following suit. "Goodnight," She said sleepily, and yawned, blinking tiredly. She turned back to peer at Vegeta, and saw that he had fallen fast asleep, his face buried in her hair. She giggled softly, then turned her head, and did the same, falling into a long slumber, of shared dreams, happy memories, and hopes to come.

  
  



	33. Be Like The Lotus

It had been just the other day, as he was walking home from Bulma's house, Yamcha had stopped in his tracks, hearing an odd sound. At first he thought it was Puar, but he wasn't with him, and his collar only tinkled. This bell sort of jangled. He couldn't believe his eyes for a long moment, as he saw her, simply sitting on a bench, with a small pallet of white milk bottles in her lap. Her head was down, and she was huffing, her cheeks reddened.

"Miyuki?" He questioned, cocking his head. She looked up quickly, hearing his voice, a pair of white and orange ears pricked on her head. Yamcha grinned, seeing her startled expression that was so endearing.

"Oh, Yamucha! What a _relief!" _She sighed, and he walked closer, feeling surprised that anybody would be relieved to see _him_.

"Why? Uh... What are you doing?" He questioned, coming close to sit next to her on the bench. Her cheeks turned rosy as he did, and she stared down at the milk bottles.

"Well you see, I was putting in the order for milk at the hospital, and the truck that _usually_ picks it up, never showed up. They said, if someone doesn't come soon, we'll have to leave it out and it'll spoil. So I offered to come get it... But," She sighed, looking embarrassed as she told the tale. Yamcha listened, nodding at her to go on.

"Well, it was simply too heavy for me to get up the hill, and I broke some, and it got all over me." She said dejectedly, and gently licked her wrist where there was a scratch. Yamcha saw it, and grasped her arm carefully, looking concerned.

"Miyuki! You're bleeding! Come on, I'll take those for you." Yamcha said, and she nodded hesitantly.

"But what about you? Oh Yamucha! Who hurt your poor nose!" She said, and cupped his scarred cheek in her hand, stroking it with her thumb as she took a good look at his nose.

"Oh, I-its nothing, I- I ran into a- cookie- cooking... sheet." He said, thoroughly embarrassed, his face turning beet red.

"Well, it looks to me it could possibly be fractured! You should be more careful." She said sweetly, then kissed the tip of his nose. A shiver went through him, and he was speechless as she pulled back, and giggled. Yamcha regained his composure, and stood, taking the pallet off her lap. It wasn't that heavy, but he would take her word for it, if it was hard to get up the hill, he wouldn't shame her for not being strong enough. She was just a pretty little thing, after all.

Miyuki stood, and directed him where to go, and he carted the milk jugs, the glass bottles tinking together with each step, as the streetlights lit, and the coolness of the late summer night calmed their heated faces. "...So, why did they hit you, Yamucha? You can't fool me, you didn't just _run_ into it. I know an injury when I see one, and that was from blunt trauma with a hard object." She stated calmly, making him gulp. "Well... I was hit for being an idiot. I said a lot of selfish, untrue things just because I was mad at myself and couldn't fix it all. It was too _late_. Bulma... doesn't love me anymore." He sighed, watching the leaves cascade over the sidewalk.

Miyuki thought for a moment, her blue eyes widening with realization, before sighing. "Thank you for telling the truth. The best thing you can do, is admit that you made a mistake, and try to learn from it. I understand." She said softly, and Yamcha felt his anxiety slightly calming from her words.

"I know Bulma, her and I are acquaintances through the emergency infirmary at her complex. She has a friend there she cares _very_ much about... She **will** heal with time."

Yamcha didn't respond, as they arrived at the hospital, and they delivered the milk. Then, she took him aside to check on his nose, bringing him to a small room in the back. Yamcha followed, watching Miyuki wince as she washed her cut up hands. He looked around, and saw a roll of medical tape, and gauze. He waited until she turned back, then pulled her good wrist towards him.

"Wait. Let's get you taken care of, first." He said, and Miyuki giggled, as he set her down on the examination table, and looked at her inquisitively, tapping his knuckle on her knee.

"Reflexes are good." He said, as her leg kicked out. Then, he took her leg, and shook it. "Nice to meet you, I'll be your doctor today." He said playfully, and let go of her leg. "Nice to meet you.. Doctor." Miyuki said shily, and he supplied an answer. "Jones, Yamcha, Jones." He supplied, using the made up name Puar had given him. He took her wrist, and carefully applied the ointment she told him to use, then wrapped it with the gauze, and taped it securely.

"Ok, that's enough! If the head surgeon catches us playing doctor, I'll be in trouble! Now, let me see your nose."

They switched spots, and Miyuki gave it a test wiggle. Yamcha hissed with pain, but as she inspected his injury, she concluded it wasn't broken, just badly bruised, and placed a bandage there, then gave him an ice pack for it. Yamcha held it on his nose, looking bashful, as Miyuki went to go clean up, and change into dry clothes. She came back a while later, wearing a blue dress, with tiny white cats on it, a white little bow around the waist. Yamcha looked up when he heard her collar jangle, and smiled, noticing how pretty she looked.

Miyuki blushed slightly, adjusting the purse on her shoulder.

"My shift is over.. Would you mind walking me home? It's late." She said, looking embarrassed by her request. Yamcha shook his head no, not phased at all. It had been extremely dark as of late, with the Eclipse and all, the sun was blocked out entirely, and there was no moon. Plus, he didn't think she should walk all alone.

They walked in near silence, just the sound of her little bells jingling as they walked down the sidewalk, towards the pretty suburban area of town, where she lived. Miyuki spoke up after a while, after much preparing, and finally asked the question she had been dying to ask.

"Yamucha... Would you, also mind...Being my date to the gala dance this weekend?" She said, then flinched as he stopped in place, the whites of his eyes wide in the dark.

"Gala? Like, a big party...? Let me guess... Bulma put you up to this. Her family is the only one that throws crazy things like that." He said, suddenly sullen.

"No! She just told me to bring a date. She didn't say who... I want to go with you." She said softly, and he smiled.

"..Ok. I'd be happy to take you! Just as long as Bulma doesn't mind. I'm not exactly... welcome around there." He said happily, his dark brown eyes beaming down into her dark blue irises.

"Thank you, Yamucha... I'm sure they won't mind. I would love to dance with you. Make sure you dress nice." She said, blinking up at him. Yamcha nodded, taking her hands. He felt the urge to kiss her, and she seemed like she would let him, but then he backed away slightly, deciding, perhaps this time, he should take it slow.

"Let's get going, Miyuki. We'll be the nicest looking couple there, guaranteed!"

He led her home, and Miyuki made a tiny purring sound as they walked, her tail trying to wrap around his arm. Yamcha blushed, and walked her to the door. They said their good nights, and exchanged cell phone numbers. Once Yamcha heard the tumbler turn in the door signifying she was locked safely inside, he sighed heavily, turning back to walk home.

* * *

"Oh, come **on! **So you're telling me, you were able to get the machine up to 200gs, but you were too _scared_ to TEST IT?!" Bulma yelled loudly, tapping her foot as she argued with the technician on the phone, rolling her eyes as she waited for him to answer. A personal fashion designer had been hired just for this event, months in advance, and now they were sitting in wait for her to get off the phone, the many different color variations of the ball gown she had helped design on racks, as he stood waiting in the large lounge room with a patient smile.

"Yes, I know that! You're ridiculous, there is NO way that I can have the Gravity Chamber disassembled, and put back together by _Saturday! _Don't you **dare** touch _anything_, or you're FIRED!" She screamed, making the designer who was inspecting one of the gowns drop it, startled.

"No, not _you!_ **Him**!" She groaned, then hung up the phone, crossing her arms and growling with her rage, not realizing just how badly she was intimidating the designer, with her almost perfect imitation of Vegeta.

"Would you like some more espresso, Mr. Franti? Bulma, would you care for a ... Please don't yell at mister Franti-chino?" Bunny said carefully, toting a tray of various cappuccino drinks, and éclairs.

"Ugh, I'm sorry! It's just that idiot back at my campus lab, they can't figure out how to move the Gravity Chamber here without taking it all apart!" She grumbled, sitting down on the couch, and taking a cup of coffee. The designer and Bunny joined her, as a shadow darted from behind a plant, and towards the kitchen to search for more of those tasty smelling little cappuccino-like drinks.

Vegeta stopped in the kitchen, looking around for a moment, and came across Dr. Brief, who was just finishing making himself an espresso with the new coffee machine he'd come up with.

"Vegeta, my good man! Just the man I'd like to see! How are you patching up?" He said, as Vegeta hesitated a moment, then came to stand beside the little scientist, peering down at the shiny new machine, while also stealing a sniff of the espresso. The doctor turned before he could try and snatch it. Vegeta grumbled, knowing he may have to trade a few words in exchange for the coffee.

"I feel absolutely fine, 100%." He said, and he wasn't lying. Gone were the bandages, and the sword wound was healed up completely. In fact, as Dr. Briefs turned, and examined him with inquiring eyes, he noticed a startling difference in Vegeta. Everything about him, had somehow intensified. His voice was much deeper, his eyes were darker, hair, blacker, his skin, richer. His muscle tone, thickened exponentially, and his height, he imagined Vegeta had grown at least 5 inches overnight! Not to mention, Vegeta had an interesting fragrance, that was very strange, like sharp, woodsy pine, and aromatic caramel.

Vegeta sniffed him back, as it was customary, then snorted back, smelling only the scent of cigarettes and kitty litter coming from the cat on his shoulder. He spat in disgust.

"What are you sniffing at?" He snapped, and Dr. Briefs chuckled softly, moving to show Vegeta the coffee machine.

"Nothing at all, say, what's your preference, espresso, frappuccino, or mocha latte frappe?" He said, and Vegeta looked at him as if he were speaking an alien language.

"I prefer it black, not so much sugar." He said curtly, and Dr. Briefs nodded, pressing the button for espresso. As he waited, he tossed a little cube in his hand, with many different colored squares, and began twisting it, turning the colored cubes in different ways to try and line them up.

"_Mom! _Can we please not talk about this right now!? There are more important things than what Vegeta and I were doing down in the lab last night!" Bulma yelled, and Vegeta jumped slightly, the mark on his neck indicating that her rage was sending her into a frenzied state, and it made his tail begin to wag back and forth involuntarily, twitching anxiously.

The doctor tutted, setting down the cube to fix Vegeta's coffee.

"Thankfully, that was just my hobby lab, and not the _business_ lab. Alot of our precious memorabilia was damaged in there, though, I'm afraid. The worst loss, being Bulma's work from when she was a child genius, all destroyed. Thankfully, she keeps a replica of the Dragon Radar stored away at all times in case of emergency." He informed him, as Vegeta picked up the cube, and turned the tiles, frowning at this news.

"There is nothing that can be done?" Vegeta said, biting his lower lip as he solved the puzzle in record time, and handed it back to her father. Dr. Briefs took it, startled, looking at the cube, then back at Vegeta in wonder.

"W-Well, some things could perhaps be taken apart, and thoroughly dried, removing the rust, and parts too damaged to save... So that, er... Vegeta, you **madlad**! I know from befriending your comrade Raditz, that certain Saiyans- unlike Goku, are capable of achieving great bounds and leaps in groundbreaking scientific, and mechanical knowledge. With how quickly you solved that Rubik's Cube, it makes me wonder, _how_ may I measure your potential intelligence?" He asked, staring at Vegeta owlishly with his reflective spectacles. Vegeta furrowed his brows at him, about to retort back nastily, but he hesitated, instead sipping his espresso.

He **had** felt a difference from before when he woke up the morning after he and Bulma's mating ceremony had been fully commenced. Was he not only, stronger and taller, but also, _smarter?_

"I give up! Just pick one, surprise me! I have more important matters at the moment, like the deconstruction of my Gravity Chamber!" Bulma exclaimed with a huff, storming out of the lounge, and towards upstairs to go sulk in her room. Vegeta glanced at her, as her movement activated the sliding electric doors, then at the Rubik's Cube, finding his mind was absolutely _buzzing_ with knowledge.

_Rubik's Cube._ He'd heard that word before. Sliding electric doors in which you may be _transported_.

"The composition of the campus building is similar to the concept of a Rubik's Cube at its most exponential form, as the entire building is unique in that it is capable of transporting itself, and _alternating_ its own structure; thus meaning, a portal could be opened in the exterior wall of the structure in order to _release_ the Gravity Chamber, in its entirety, and remove it easily and efficiently without damage!" Vegeta said quickly, making both Bulma, and Dr. Briefs freeze in place.

Bulma slowly turned, then her eyes lit up with excitement, and Dr. Briefs clapped Vegeta on the back enthusiastically.

"Right-O! Great point, Vegeta my boy! Truly remarkable, you are a fitting suitor for my Bulma here, with that sharp intellect!" Dr. Briefs praised him, and he blushed with his embarrassment at how he'd spewed out his idea without hesitation, and now her father was thinking of _marrying_ his daughter off to him!

"Oh, Vegeta! You really _listened_ to me, didn't you? That's such a **great** idea!" Bulma said warmly, coming up to hug him, a relieved expression on her face as she embraced him.

"If only you were good at picking out dresses too!" She sighed, and he shrugged.

"The red one, of course. The red symbolizes your success in battle, to be bathed in crimson on one's commencement day is very commonplace when fledgling Elites are sworn into duty, not to mention, it is a regal color for any suitor of mine." He said, then coughed, trying to cover up the words he'd just gone and spewed out uncontrollably, releasing Bulma, and coughing with slight exaggeration into his hand, blaming his word vomit on the espresso he slammed on the table.

"Wow... You're right. You know, I think I _will_ take the red one." Bulma said, and Mr. Franti clapped his hands enthusiastically, giggling with Bunny at how smart and sexy Vegeta was.

"We have a winner! Great choice, Bulma, let's get you fitted, darling!~" He exclaimed, and she nodded, taking off into the other room, as Dr. Briefs and Vegeta watched.

"Hmm... Was it_ truly_ the color of blood that inspired your choice...? Or is it just my nagging suspicion, that you are _attracted_ to my daughter?" The old man stated, and Vegeta whirled around in shock.

"How-" He began, but was quickly cut off.

"Yes, in fact, _highly_ attracted. You think I've never seen a hickey before, sonny?" He said, poking Vegeta's mating mark with his pen. Vegeta cringed, feeling uncomfortable with someone else touching it other than Bulma.

"It's... ah, more than just a little mark." He said softly, hesitant to further explain what it actually was.

"I see. Whatever it is... I sense, you're in head over heels, infatuated with my Bulma! And I just want to tell you, I approve." He said, patting Vegeta on the shoulder. Vegeta calmed his surprise, looking down in wonder.

"My little Bulma is a big girl, she no longer requires a bodyguard, you are hereby, _freed_ from your duties! A knight's code of honour states that he may not have involvement with a Princess while sworn under her protection. But, my Princess has chosen you, Vegeta. And I assure you, It would be a great honor to have your royal blood in the veins of our next heir to the Capsule Corporation." He stated, with a firm nod, and Vegeta, feeling oddly generous this afternoon, bowed at the waist, his hand over his racing heart, tapping twice as he thanked him.

"It is with great honor, I accept your offer." He said respectfully, and stood. At that moment, Vegeta resembled his father in the morning light, as the red corona of the Eclipse shone in through the windows, and tinged his raven hair with auburn highlights, the contours of his aristocratic face shaped by golden light, as the small earthling male reached out his pale little hand, and Vegeta's large, bronze skinned hand enveloped his, and they shook hands, sealing their agreement.

"Now that we're all agreed, give me your honest opinion of the espresso, be as critical as **necessary**."

"It tastes like **utter** crap. I wouldn't feed it to a retainer, let alone; be caught dead with that **vile** concoction in my mouth. Now, tell me, what's this 'Frappuccino' composed of...?" Vegeta mused, and smirked as the little man eagerly got to telling him all the details.

* * *

The clinking and breaking of glass could be heard from within the small, destitute looking apartments; as the trash cans outside indicated, somebody was inside emptying out their apartment. An eviction notice was tacked up on the door, as well as red paint splatter, reading "CHEETER", in big, bloody looking letters. A small hover car pulled up to the sidewalk, exhaust fumes pouring out the loud muffler. Just as the car parked, Yamcha came out, hauling two large black garbage bags, with a frown on his face.

He set the bags on the curb, along with a ratty looking old couch, and a broken television. Vandals had broken into his apartment while he was in the hospital, trashing everything, as well as stealing all his valuables, which were a measly few. The culprit here was easy to guess, by the misspelling of the word 'Cheater,' and the context behind it. Yamcha knew the perpetrator was Fancy, and some of her hoodlum friends. Luckily, he had left his car in the lot behind the restaurant he used to work at, and she wasn't smart enough to realize that's where it was.

Oolong and Puar hopped out of the car, toting buckets of white paint, and brushes to try and cover up the damage done. Yamcha waved, mustering a small grin.

"Hey Oolong, glad you could make it." He said, placing his hands on his hips. He wasn't wearing much beside a tattered old pair of black pants, the kind he'd worn even before receiving Master Roshi's training. "No problem, Yammy, say, you gonna give that gal a piece of your mind?" Oolong snorted, gesturing with his thumb at the door. "Yeah! I **told** you that Fancy was a troublemaker!" Puar huffed, as he flew up with a paint bucket, and tried to bonk Yamcha over the head.

Yamcha grabbed the bucket before Puar could swing it at him, and tossed it up in the air. It spun a few times, then he caught it by the handle, not losing a drop of paint. Puar and Oolong looked on in amazement, as a clapping could be heard from behind Yamcha, who was beaming with pride.

"Fancy footwork, a bit choppy, but it'll do." Master Roshi said from behind, as he and Turtle came out, a bra dangling from Roshi's pocket. The old Turtle snagged the brassiere, and tossed it in the trash, distracting the hermit a moment as he rifled through the trash, and nabbed it, stuffing it in his back pocket, before turning his attention back on Yamcha.

"You think?" Yamcha said, whirling around.

"I hope I'm quick enough to impress Miyuki!" He said, and chuckled, the apples of his cheeks reddening.

"Eheh, _sure! _Why, maybe I could give ya some dancin' lessons, back in the day I was a real swinger!" Master Roshi grinned, taking Turtle's flipper, and twirling him around, until he turned even greener in the face, and begged him to stop, plopping down on the ground, little stars circling his head with dizziness.

Yamcha turned, and walked back inside, looking around at the barren apartment. The others followed, Puar floating up to his shoulder. "I'm sure Miyuki will love to dance with you, Yamcha, plus, I'll be right _there_ to guide you!" The blue little cat said perkily, with a wide smile. Yamcha nodded, not answering him right away, as he looked at the wall, and sighed. Huge black letters were slashed across the wall, reading, '**Rapist**!.'

It broke his heart to see this, truly. He didn't know how Fancy could have possibly found out about it, but she had a way of figuring out things by snooping online, or hacking into other people's private accounts. He lowered his head, scratching Puar's ears.

"Do you guys really think I deserve a second chance...? Do I.. deserve to be with a nice girl like Miyuki, after messing things up **so bad** with Bulma?" He said softly, so quietly they could barely hear him. The room was silent for a long moment, as Oolong removed his cap, his ears drooping, and Master Roshi stepped closer, his cane tapping on the floor.

An angered expression was on his face, as he stared down Yamcha through his thick sunglasses. Yamcha gulped, realizing that his master meant business with that look. Roshi quickly fell into a fighting stance, his cane posed to strike. Yamcha stiffened, startled, and Puar jumped away.

"Listen here, you young, stupid brat! The time for cryin' is **over! **I won't sit with ya _no more_, and wipe the snot from your sniffling nose! A man only gets what he deserves, if he fights hard enough to earn it!" Master Roshi growled, and Yamcha slowly moved, his hands, forming into claw like shape, as he moved one leg out to the side, the other in.

"I'm **not **crying! I'm not a little brat! I **deserve** to be happy again!" Yamcha snapped, saying a mantra to give himself confidence; his brows lowering angrily. Oolong and Turtle moved back, hiding behind some boxes of Yamcha's possessions. Then, before any of them could blink, Master Roshi swung his cane, going to take out Yamcha's knees, but he jumped up incredibly quick, and landed on the cane, before forcing two hands together, and knocking Roshi back with a quick Ki blast.

"Master!" Turtle and Puar cried out in unison, shocked that the two would trade blows in the small apartment. Master Roshi jumped back, huffing, and tossed his cane off to the side.

"Oh yeah, so you got some spunk left after all, eh? What are you gonna say to that little filly after the ball?" Master Roshi snapped, forming a snake-like shape with his hand, and jabbing for Yamcha's diaphragm to knock the wind out of him. Yamcha quickly dodged, sucking his stomach in, then reared forth, and headbutted Master Roshi.

_"You look beautiful tonight! Would you like to go on a date with me?!" _Yamcha yelled, The old man fell back at the same time as he did, right onto their backs, crying out in pain. "**Oww**! Ow-chie!" They both hissed and moaned, rubbing their heads, then Yamcha shot up, his back ramrod straight.

"My toof! Master Woshi, I wost a toof!" Yamcha cried, clutching his aching mouth with both hands. A gold tooth clattered on the floor, and Oolong snatched it up, holding it, and turning it this way and that in the light.

"Who cares about a missing tooth?! This baby's _solid gold,_ Yamcha!" The pig exclaimed greedily, then Puar flew over, and wrestled with him for the tooth. "That's Yamcha's, he needs it! Give it back, or else Miyuki will see!" The cat cried, as they rolled around in a dust cloud, quickly changing forms, Puar changed into a tiger, and Oolong changed into a Pelican, pecking him on the head while he roared, and tried to claw for the tooth hidden in Oolong's throat pouch. Master Roshi chuckled, taking off his broken glasses, and grinning wide for Yamcha to see.

"Lookit my mouth! I'm missing so many teeth, I can't even keep the drool in no more!" He said, then cackled with amusement as Yamcha's features slumped, his hands dropping, as the missing tooth that Goku had knocked out all those years ago was revealed.

"Well, I suppose it's not so bad... After all, Bulma still liked me when I looked like this. I'm sure Miyuki won't care.." He said with a dejected sigh, looking down at the floor. There was a triumphant roar, then a loud squawking, as Puar had pinned down Oolong, and got the tooth from him. He shrunk down to size, and flew back quickly, handing Yamcha the tooth.

"Quick! Stick it back in!" He urged, and Yamcha shook his head, grinning.

"It's alright, Puar. I don't need it. I always thought it looked too flashy, anyway." He said, and ruffled his ears, Puar looking confused.

"Huh? But..."

"He's right! Gimme back that tooth, I know a great pawnshop dealer that takes gold teeth! I promise, I swear on my mother's honey glazed rump, that I'll give you **all** the profits, 100%!" He pleaded, and Yamcha looked somewhat suspicious.

"I don't know, I'm not sure I can trust either... But, I do need extra cash for a suit, and a nice corsage for Miyuki. Think you can talk him up to that?"

"You betcha!" Oolong said, poofing into a copy of Bulma, wearing a Bunny costume.

"How's this?" He said, wiggling his hips. Yamcha frowned, and Master Roshi said,

"Ehh." and stuck out his tongue. Then, Oolong poofed, and transformed into Fancy, wearing a tiny black dress and high heels, with big, teased blonde hair.

"Or this?"

_"Hot **dog**!" _Master Roshi yelled, reaching to grab for him, but Turtle stopped him, shaking his head.

"It's _just_ Oolong, Master!"

Yamcha snorted, "That'll definitely attract a sleazy guy, but not me. The Bulma one is cute, but too chubby." He said with a shake of his head, then stood, helping Master Roshi up as well.

"Great idea, Yam Yam baby! I'm on my way!" Oolong said, blowing a big bubblegum bubble, and snapping it as he sauntered out of the apartment to go see what he could get for the tooth. Master Roshi watched him walk out, then chucked, patting Yamcha's hands.

"You still got it, Yamcha! You're a good kid! Don't forget that this time around, you can't go breaking that lil ladies heart, got it?" He said sternly, and Yamcha nodded.

"I got it. I promise, I've learned my lesson. I'll never do anything like what I did in the past, again. I can't thank you enough, Master Roshi. You've reminded me who I really am again, for a while there, I lost my way. But now, I think I'm ready to get back on my feet. I'm going to get my act together, and I don't ever want to be like I was ever again." He said, releasing his hands.

Yamcha bent down, and grabbed a paint bucket, dipping a big brush in it. He walked over, and slapped a big slash of white paint over the offensive words, and began painting over it, in big letters, he simply wrote, 'Yamcha'. To symbolize, he wasn't ever going to be called a cheater, or a rapist again, but _just_ Yamcha. The good, the bad, the ugly, he was just a human being with flaws, but that didn't mean he couldn't move on, and redeem himself once and for all.

* * *

Far away from the city, and far into the forest, a strange creature had come upon a small, injured Saiyan child. A child of Saiyå. The hatchling took the child back to its birthplace, in the sheer remnants of the mountain, in a small cave where she had hatched. Calliope, was her name. She came from an ancient time before what we know now as the modern era. She existed in a time, before man.

In a time, when upon her expulsion from her mother, she had somehow landed here. Time had been gradual for her, as Calliope washed dirt and blood away from the child, treating him gently, as Gohan was still in tender condition. In her time, women of her species nurtured children, they laid their eggs, and watched over them, covering them in a thick, protective green ooze, like the slugs their species was rumored to have originated from. Calliope brushed Gohan's hair back from his brow, feeling the smoothness of it, where hers had long green antennae.

Calliope was one of the only, in fact, perhaps the sole female Namekian alive, beside her creator. The Guardian of Ryokama. Obœ was the mother of the red planet, who had spawned her from her body, expelling her evil from inside, so that she may be pure of heart enough to watch over Ryokama. But, as Calliope held her hands over the boy, and mended his tattered clothing with her magic; she showed no evil as of yet to speak of.

She looked down at her unclothed body, and back to the child's; thinking perhaps, it would be inappropriate to appear before him in this way, she held her hands over herself, and closed her eyes. Clothing herself in a criss-crossing white bandeau top that looped around her neck, with white sleeves, and a long, body hugging purple skirt, with sandals to protect her feet. Gold jewelry adorned her throat, and around her trim waist. Delicate chains connected her outfit, and dripped down her well-toned abdomen, as she at last was satisfied with her appearance, leaving her head free of any garments, she wore her bald scalp with no shame.

Calliope gathered Gohan up, and carried him on her back as she looked around herself, deciding she would leave the forest, and head towards that strange energy signature up ahead.

* * *

Tien closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. He was some distance away from the others, but on the tiny planet it was difficult to really 'get away,' with everyone else besides Goku outside. King Kai was teaching Chiaotzu and Krillin how to use the spirit bomb today. Chiaotzu was having a harder time of it than Krillin, who had picked up on it fairly well, but neither of them were quite as adept as he. Tien folded his hands together and attempted to meditate as well as he could, attempting to hone his mental strength.

He focused on his breathing, listening to each long, leveled breath. Concentrated on the thrum of blood pulsing in his ears, as he gradually attempted to calm his heart down to a relaxed pace. Tien imagined himself drifting down a lazy river, the oar of his canoe dunking in the water with each stroke. Something odd tingled at the edges of his senses, as he shook his head slightly, almost taking him out of his meditative state. There was a soft scent like sour lemon, and sweet maple syrup. His heart tightened in his chest as the scent evoked memories of Launch, cooking breakfast in the early morning. Cool lemonade soothing down a parched throat. Then, there was a soft ulation, something at first he was unable to place. _What made a cooing sound like that?_ Tien concentrated on diving deeper into his subconscious; determined to find out what it was trying to tell him.

He pulled the canoe up to shore, and tied the rope off on a wooden stump. Stepping out of the water, he dried his feet off in the silky grass as he walked. He dimly understood that he was at a deep state of meditation, as now everything was becoming increasingly tangible.

_Ooo_.There was a cooing once again, then a giddy giggle, as he came upon the source at last. Tien stode through the waist high weeds, parting the cat tails to see a small infant tucked into the petals of a pink lotus flower, settled atop a shallow mud puddle. It's tiny pink feet curled up to its body, as it's fists clutched an odd brown appendage. Tien came closer to the infant, carefully leaning down to pick it up, and cradle it in his arms. A quick glance told him the child was a female, and the brown appendage was a tail. He furrowed his brows in confusion, tracing his fingertips down her powdery soft cheek and wiping a small spot of dirt away as she slept.

"Who are you?" He inquired softly, and the child opened her eyes. Tien was stunned by the radiance of her eyes; brown ringed irises with green centers. Then, a third eye opened, and he felt his stomach drop. It was his child he was holding, that was the only explanation, and it could have only been with Launch. A hot trail of moisture leaked down his cheek quickly as he gently rocked the child against his bare chest, stroking her tiny features with his fingertips.

The only way this could be happening, right now, is if this child had passed through the other world.

"I'm so sorry little one... Do you have a name?" He said, walking with her through the meadow. Small prismatic orbs circled around him, tinking as they resonated with an ethereal tone.

"Well, you're a little girl. So I can't name you Tien. That's my name. And Launch isn't here, so she can't help me pick." He chuckled softly, as the child stared up at him. "What should we call you?..." He whispered, and the orbs hummed softly around him, as if whispering.

"You need a name, don't you? ...I'll call you, _Naein_. That's a pretty name, right?" He soothed, and she giggled.

"Yes. Naein." Tien smiled down at the infant, then was startled, as she disappeared with a pop of laughter. He waved goodbye, nodding to the orbs as they slowly faded.

"Rest well." Tien said, then opened his eyes. "Tien!" A voice called, and he stood up from the lotus position, stretching out his stiff limbs. "I did it, I was able to do the spirit bomb!" Chiaotzu said, being followed by Krillin and King Kai, who carried a wicker basket on his arm, Bubbles trailing beside him.

"That's great! Good job, Chiaotzu!" Tien said, smiling at everyone. King Kai set down his basket, and unfurled a large blanket out onto the grass for all of them to sit on, as he opened the picnic basket, and revealed the goodies inside.

"Come on, let's take a seat now. You boys have all done very well with your training. A reward is in order!" King Kai said, and began passing around the snacks.

Tien took a bean dumpling, pulling away the paper to let out the steam, as he smelled the decadence of the spirit world snacks.

"Goku would really like this." Krillin said, opening up an entire box of onigiri rice balls. Tien nodded in agreement, and they then enjoyed their picnic together.

...

A large hand dangled off the love seat where Goku had been at rest now for a few days, sluggishly coming up to scratch the back of his head, as he turned his face, and licked his lips.

"Oh... Did you make enough for everyone?" He muttered in his sleep, his eyebrows twitching as his dream of Chi-Chi making lunch for him made his stomach growl.

"Thanks cheech. I love your cooking.." Goku mumbled, sitting up, his eyes closed completely. His arms dangled between his legs as he slowly nodded.

"Uh-huh." Then, he stood, and began walking sluggishly, feeling alongside the wall with one hand, as he made heavy footsteps towards the bathroom. One hand found something cool, and he leaned against the wall as he emptied his bladder into the sink instead of the toilet, sighing as the heavy trinkle came out. Then, Goku pulled up his pants, and followed his nose towards the kitchen, where the scent of the picnic foods still lingered.

"... something.. smells yummy." He mumbled, dragging his feet towards the refrigerator, and dropping to his knees, as his arms gathered up the food, and he began eating anything and everything in radius, all the while, still at sleep. King Kai had caught onto his little sleepwalking trips, and had prepared a whole tray of food for the daily occasion. He found it easily on the bottom shelf, filled right up like a troth, all he had to do was take the lid off, and dive in.

...

Kakarot's stomach gurgled, and he groaned. He placed one hand over it, feeling a familiar stretching sensation. Over the last few days, he'd been noticing it more often, his stomach would slowly stretch out and feel as if it were bloated while he wasn't even eating. When he did eat, he didn't fill himself right up to the brim, even though he could if he wanted to. Being a soldier in Frieza's army had taught him to take what he could get, and be smart enough to save a little for later. He'd never stuff himself so full he couldn't walk, in the case he needed to suddenly go on a mission. The warrior groaned again, slowing down in mid air, as Chi-Chi still clung around his back, resting.

"What's wrong, dad?" Gohan asked, slowing down as well. They'd been flying now for some time, and the boy probably was hungry too, and Chi-Chi could use a bed, if she was going to nap, there were much more comfortable places then on his armour.

"Just a gut ache again. I need to rest a moment." Kakarot groaned, resting one hand on his stretched out armour.

"You have a pot belly, that's why." Gohan stated bluntly, and Kakarot looked down. He screwed his brows together, thinking the only time he ever got a distended stomach like this, was from drinking too much malt liquor.

"I see that. It's certainly odd, you know. I'm not even hungry." He said aloud, and Gohan chucked.

"That **is** weird! You're usually _always_ hungry!" The boy said, and Kakarot nodded. He'd been made aware of his alter self, and concluded that whatever was happening to him here, could potentially be caused by his other self who had recently become more intrusive mentally and physically. He flew down towards the forest, sensing a small energy signature deep in the woods that he had never sensed before. In fact, he wasn't sure if he even had covered this area before, when he had purged this planet quite some years ago.

"Are we going home now, dad?" Gohan asked, and Kakarot nodded quickly. He sensed it; home. He knew through some odd feeling in the back of his mind, that he was flying a path that he had learned by habit, thanks to Goku. Gohan took off down towards the small buildings in the middle of the woods, where a small opening of land was tucked away, the blue blanket on his shoulders fluttering. Kakarot frowned as he followed, faintly hoping that whatever mess was inside wouldn't scare the boy too bad. Kakarot turned his face to look at Chi-Chi and frowned. He would have been in great ape form, and even a brave woman like Chi-Chi wouldn't be able to get through to him.

"Gohan, wait!" Kakarot yelled, suddenly surging forth at that thought. He flew towards him quickly, and yanked him back not so gently by his cape. Gohan yelped, then struggled a small amount as Kakarot attempted to tuck him under his arm.

"It's not wise to just fly in unchecked like that, we need to be cautious!" He growled, and was startled to hear a small growl back, as Gohan bit his arm. Chi-Chi opened her eyes, hearing the commotion, and looked around herself wildly.

"We're _home!"_ She gasped, and Gohan cried out, "Let me go! I want to go home!" Kakarot held them back, feeling he had made a mistake following the path he'd been following. But then, he heard a beeping from in his armour. Kakarot looked down, seeing the green glow of the radar. "The dragon balls!" Both Gohan and Chi-Chi exclaimed; and Kakarot found it was futile to try and resist at that point. He flew down to the ground, and let them both jump out of his grip, while he stood a distance away, watching with a heavy feeling in his stomach, _what if...?_

He watched as they ran towards the house, bursting through the door, and found himself running after them in a panic, his heart racing. He was for once, terrified that they would find out the truth about him, the horrible secret he had been hiding!

"Wait! Don't go in! _Chi-Chi! Gohan!" _Kakarot cried out, his voice cracking as he heard the oddly familiar creaking of an old wooden door, and then, the scent of home that evoked everything he found faint memories of in Chi-Chi. Green tea in the morning, white rice with eggs and pork bacon for breakfast. A kettle of water boiling over the hearth, to soothe his dry sinuses in the winter, as he warmed his feet by the fire. The scent of freshly washed linen, and squeaky clean soap on her small white hands. Chi-Chi. This was _home_.

They all came into the living area, and turned to see the woman washing her hands at the sink. She looked at all of them for a long moment, with an expression of disbelief, as her, and the real Chi-Chi stared at one another. Then, she promptly fainted.

* * *

"...Heheh, yes, this body will do nicely." Piccolo said in a distorted voice, as he looked down at himself, patting his muscular chest, then back at Raditz, who stepped back a pace, his fists clenched.

"Piccolo?" He questioned, hoping that he was still present, but it was proving fruitless as Vulcane chuckled through his newly acquired body, darting his third eye at Raditz, and chanting quickly.

_"Hyōketsu!" _He snapped, his eyes alighting crimson. Raditz froze in place; expecting he was about to be harmed, but nothing. Vulcane hissed in anger, as Raditz lowered his shoulders, looking at himself curiously, and seeing that no harm had been done to him. Raditz realized this, and smirked at him.

"You can't use your little spells anymore, **can** you? That freezing trick stopped working about the time you tried to use it on Piccolo..." Raditz said, in an amused voice as he feigned cockiness; knowing that this was Piccolo, he may be possessed at the moment, but this rendered all of Vulcane's typical attacks obsolete, he could only perform attacks within Piccolo's skill range.

Vulcane growled back at him, looking down at himself, and bringing forth Piccolo's energy, his white cape fluttering out around him as he tested his new ki out.

Raditz did the same in turn, flaring his energy out around him, feeling an untapped power just beneath the surface he would save for when he truly needed it.

"Foolish simian, you think that I don't understand the powers of a Namekian? I understand how to use this body even better than it's host. I enslaved his people in the past and rendered them a stagnant society with no way to flourish or grow. I _could_ have killed them all, but I found they have very special little baubles they can make, and plenty of energy to fuel my Eclipse!" He chuckled, looking up to the cave ceiling, as golden light rushed out around him, and the earth around them rumbled.

"You're just as terrible as Frieza!" Raditz growled, his thick mane raising up slightly from his back as white and ruby energy coursed out around him. "We'll both be trapped in this tunnel together if we fight at our full strength! You're **no** match for Piccolo! You've no idea the skill and dedication it took for him to learn his special techniques!" Raditz chided towards him sharply, raising both hands in preparation to blast if necessary. Vulcane tossed Piccolo's head back with laughter, crossing his arms.

" 'Special techniques!' Ha! I'll show you what's so special about your green friend here!" He shouted, and lowered his face, quickly looking toward Raditz, he blasted energy beams out of his eyes, aiming for Raditz's feet. Raditz jumped back, and the rays made a deep crack in the ground before him, from which thick, maroon liquid gushed forth. Raditz coughed into his hand, nearly gagging from the sickly sweet scent of blood that seemed to just be oozing out from a crack in the earth. Vulcane stayed in place, using his telekinetic ability to lift his discarded sword into the air, then drop it down the crack. Raditz gazed down, as it dangled from just the red ball at the end.

"Why did you do that?" He questioned, stepping back further, as the blood from throughout the entire cavern began pulsing into the sword. He chucked lowly, watching the flood with glowing golden eyes as his plans were coming together at last to bear fruit.

"That blood, you two thought belonged to my frail old body, but there _was_ no feasible way I could contain such a massive volume of liquid... " Vulcane said softly, watching the sword carefully now as he lifted into the air, and it glowed with a magma like radiance of scarlet and gold, the blood trapped within the sword now, that he reached one hand out to, and moved the decorative katana into.

A sudden flash of bright red light blinded Raditz, as Vulcane grasped the sword in Piccolo's green digits, curling his claws around the pommel that looked to be wrapped elaborately. He bellowed out a triumphant laugh as the energy rushed into him, making him become larger, more muscular by the minute, his voice deepening with each wave of blood energy, until at last, the light faded, and the sword was just a sword once again, or more specifically, a siphoning instrument.

Raditz looked around, and saw that now, it looked as if the walls that had been bulging out before, had now been drained, and dried of the crimson sheen that had covered them completely before.

"Saiyan blood. That's what it is. Saiyan blood holds energy within it unlike a typical human, see how it shimmers in the light?" He whispered, then shot a razor thin beam from the tip of his nail, scratching Raditz's arm. A trickle of blood escaped, and under the green hue of his scouter light, he saw the silvery, shimmering aspect of his blood that the nurse had noted before was not typical for humans.

He grimaced. _How many of us has Vulcane killed and imprisoned? How ancient is this being, that he has done this all beneath Frieza's nose, before even the genocide of Planet Vegeta? _Raditz thought to himself, but even his thoughts were fodder for Vulcane. He chuckled softly, reading Raditz's mind.

_I have existed since before your species could even speak, I am everlasting. I will outlast you, and kill every last Saiyan. My rejuvenation will be a success, once I've drained all the rest of you **filthy** pests._

Vulcane spoke telepathically, then rose up into the air, and smirked down at Raditz, whose aura was now becoming much more angered with this new knowledge. Raditz rose up as well; watching Vulcane closely as he backed up to the wall, glancing quickly behind him at a large black crystal that was embedded into the wall above where his bloodied old body still lay.

"I'm done talking, Gemini. If you won't come out of Piccolo's body, I suppose he can forgive me for giving him a good beating if that means you're scared out of him." Raditz growled, and rushed forward quickly to attack him, taking Vulcane slightly off guard, as Raditz hit him with his Dynamite Monday attack, a barrage of wild kicks and punches, pushing Vulcane back further to the wall, as he barely resisted. Raditz cringed as suddenly, he felt a slash across him when Vulcane lashed out with his katana, cutting open Raditz's black shirt, it falling away as a thin scratch bled across his torso. Raditz snorted, unaffected, he pushed himself back slightly as Vulcane licked the blood that quickly became golden off the blade, then spat.

"_Cor. _That's foul, what are you, a third class mongrel?" He spat, spitting out his distasteful blood from his mouth.

"For once my class is doing me some good, doesn't taste so good? Well, I'm not a _juice box_ either." Raditz sneered; inwardly relieved he didn't have a taste for it. Vulcane snickered in response, looking down towards the edge of the cavern where they could see two golden flecks of light casting off Tianshae's reflective amber eyes.

"I don't need to drink your blood, Tianshae will feed this body if it is weakened. She's my secret weapon. Do you care to know why, or is it a **waste** telling a hair-brained ape like _you...?" _He sneered, as Raditz stared at the woman, attempting to send her a quick mental message.

_Go home. Only death waits for you here._ He whispered, her eyes widened, then she scurried backwards into the shadows, realizing she'd been caught.

"_Tsk, tsk_. Don't scare away my disciples. Tianshae shall prove very useful to me, just as that little half-breed does you. Once I see her, I will tear her and her disgusting traitor mother who _lied_ to me **apart!" **He hissed, and lashed out at Raditz with the sword in his anger, taking the Saiyan's mind off his worries for Launch and Kannon, and multiplying his rage.

"You won't touch them, you'll be truly eradicated from this world before that could happen." Raditz clipped, tired of this back and forth, he began pumping power to his hands, not caring any longer if the woman was crushed from her own stupidity, he had told her to get out and if she didn't, she was a fool. Vulcane tore away Piccolo's garments, shedding his turban and cape, and sheathing the sword in his waist belt.

He put his hands out as well, grinning right back at Raditz as they began to glow orange. He was late on the attack though, and Raditz threw a Saturday Crush attack at him, the great blasts sending him flying back, and the smaller blasts he sent piercing through the big blast attacks pelting the Namekian's bulked up form, making him cough up blood as he was thrust back onto the crystal wall. Raditz pulled back his attack, feeling perhaps he was going too far, he didn't want to really hurt Piccolo, but what other choice did he have? Was there some way he could perhaps _knock out_ Vulcane's spirit? Or maybe, talk Piccolo into forcing him out?

_I wish I could talk to him now, Raditz_ frowned, watching the possessed Piccolo pant as he regained his focus. _Piccolo would definitely have a theory about how to solve this issue._

_"Piccolo!"_ Raditz yelled, trying to get his attention. Vulcane rolled his borrowed head on the crystal, gripping the crystal wall behind him as his chest rose and fell with each labored breath.

"Piccolo, if you can hear me, you **have** to come back! I know you don't care for the Saiyan people, but our race is all but extinct! If you let Vulcane keep sharing your body, he'll _kill us all!" _Raditz yelled, watching as Piccolo's eyes opened, and he smiled weakly.

"He doesn't hate you **all**. The little child, who keeps flashing through his mind is a half-breed. Perhaps, should I find this 'Gohan,' Piccolo would show me those special techniques of his." Vulcane sneered; watching Raditz's startled face at the mention of his nephew, who was nothing but a small boy.

Raditz growled, knowing that there was nothing else he could do now. Vulcane had complete control over him.

"You won't touch the child. He is **not** yours to harm." Raditz fumed, his skin prickling with heat as he flew closer to him, and Vulcane turned to look back with crimson eyes from beneath a ridged brow, grinning devilishly with Piccolo's long white fangs.

"Don't tell me, you're all part of the same monkey troupe. I should have known, you're all inbred apes, the lot of you." He seethed, his words dripping with caustic acid. Raditz's eyes narrowed, and he rose one arm, his hand quickly beginning to snap and crackle with pink energy.

"Say it again, I **dare** you. I'm not afraid to make a hole through Piccolo if I have to, after all that would only be fair after what he did to me. I'm sure Piccolo can forgive me." He snarled, and bared his teeth, charging up his Shining Friday attack.

_"Kanzashi!"_ Vulcane cried, and Raditz smirked, shaking his head slowly back and forth as he honed his rage all into this one attack, his hand glowing so brightly that the entire cavern was lit up with pink radiance.

"I may have to electrify you out of there, Vulcane. Try and might to use your little commands, but you forget, you have no power here." Raditz grinned, and slashed his arm down violently, whipping the Shining Friday into his stomach in a vicious uppercut attack, making Piccolo's hack up purple blood, his body jolting with deadly spasms as he was struck with the intense electrifying attack, his body shaking as he roared out in pain. Raditz backed away, watching with a hopeful gaze to see if perhaps Vulcane could be exorcised out.

_"Kazaaanshiiiii!" _He managed to cry out once more, then Raditz's eyes widened, hearing a whistling through the air. He turned quickly, and saw the Gemini woman take the sharp, black chopstick out of her hair, and charge it with a red energy, sending it flying at him before he could even anticipate its course. He felt a stabbing pain shoot through the muscle of his back, as it landed in the center of his lateral muscles, digging into the nerve there, and making his body lunge up into a painful arch as it struck. Then, just as Raditz went to grab for the stick, another whistled through the air, and struck him in the base of his tail, making him scream out in agony; his body jerking up unnaturally as the stick dug into the sensitive pathways of his central nervous system.

"Good girl..Tianshae, come to me... Come heal your... Master." Vulcane whispered, clutching the pink flesh of Piccolo's abdomen as he still coughed and blood burbled from his lips. Raditz could do nothing but watch as she flew up to him; hesitant to come closer as she eyed Vulcane's new body.

"It's alright. It's me, Emperor.. Vulcane. Don't tell me.. you can't recall your husband's voice even through the Namekian?" He said, so softly and carefully that it comforted the girl, who glanced back at Raditz warily. Raditz pulled back his upper lip and grimaced in pain, struggling to get out of the painful contortion she had used a type of acupuncture to put him in, his tail lashing back and forth, the only part of him still mobile.

"He's paralyzed...completely. A puppet that we can play with... at our whimsy. Kiss me, then you can... make the monkey dance if you wish." Vulcane whispered, the third eye that had grown into Piccolo's brow glowing, and making the girl slowly become subservient.

_"Saiashi...that's it...Saiashi..."_ He whispered, and her eyes glazed over instantly, as she was brought under his command. Tianshae came forth, and carefully clutched to his shredded purple gi, tracing her nails down the interesting green skin. Vulcane chuckled softly, licking her earlobe with a purple tongue.

"If you like this body, we'll play with it later...sweet Tianshae... now, **kiss** me." He ordered, and she nodded, tilting back her neck to lift her chin towards the tall Namekian, who quickly gripped her by the back of her auburn hair, and forced her mouth open to kiss him, shoving a fat purple organ into her mouth, and slobbering down her chin as she moaned helplessly, her saliva he licked from her, golden. Raditz turned his eyes away, disgusted, but the girl glanced back, and he found his eyes drawn to them without his own volition, and was forced to watch them kiss until Vulcane felt he was strong enough once again.

"That's good, Tianshae." He breathed, wiping his mouth with the back of his arm. He pulled the girl onto his hip, carrying her, as he removed the sword from his waist belt, smirking up at Raditz. Raditz groaned, wiggling his tail, wrapping it around the kanzashi stick, but finding it much too slippery to grip.

Raditz watched the sword carefully; understanding that it was a conduit for his power, as Vulcane spun it around to face behind him, his eyes still connected with Raditz's, as he shoved the sword into the black crystal.

"Hehe... You know what's even **better** than having a river of Saiyan blood...?" He mused, his crimson eyes sparkling as he twisted the sword slightly, and it began to glow with a purple and green iridescence.

All throughout the cavern, the crystals began to hum; the discarded arm that Piccolo had left behind, withering as the crystals absorbed his blood, and became purple and green once again.

_"Namekian blood!" _Vulcane screamed, and Raditz's body shivered as he watched the sword drain the power from the crystals rapidly, making Piccolo's body begin to become even more bulky, veins bulging out even further as he siphoned out the power, and slowly became larger, and larger, until the woman on his hip seemed to become smaller, clinging to his shirt. Raditz gasped as he grew to immense size, and his head burst through the roof of the tunnel, obliterating everything around him, as Vulcane took in the power of all the Namekians he had slaughtered, becoming a Super Namekian.

The black rocks fell away, and the sky could once again be seen, the corona of the Eclipse now dark red, filling the sky with deep mahogany hues, and vibrant scarlet. Raditz looked up at Piccolo's colossus form, and felt his eyes filling with hot tears, as the crimson color of the sky reminded him of his birthplace. Tianshae used one hand to move Raditz up to level with Piccolo's red eyes, watching the large Saiyan squirm, struggling to free himself from the paralysis.

Raditz looked off towards the shore, worrying for Launch, he tried to speak with her. _Launch, you must get yourself __and the other Saiyans out of here, quickly!_He thought frantically, forgetting that Vulcane could hear everything he thought.

"Who is 'Launch'...?" Vulcane growled in a deep, distorted voice. "Why does that name sound like a Gemini name...?" He snarled, thinking furiously of Kannon, and Propel, his dutiful servant who had disappeared unexpectedly.

Raditz looked back quickly, startled. _What's wrong? Wait... I see you! Is that... Piccolo!?_ Launch responded, from where she was very close nearby, at the Saiyan campground. _Raditz! We're coming! _She answered mentally, and he cried back,_ No! Don't come here, **please**! _Raditz attempted to yell, but his mouth wouldn't open, as his frightened eyes turned on the woman in Piccolo's hand, gesturing at him. Vulcane handed her his sword, and whispered something to her, before setting her up on his shoulder, where she crawled up and hid around his neck.

"Don't worry. They aren't coming to me. I'm going to **them**." His voice boomed, and he turned Piccolo around, walking towards the shore, where small specks could already be seen hovering in the air, as the Saiyans took in the sight of the massive Namekian. Raditz saw the woman make a beckoning motion to him, and his body moved with them of its own accord, as he could do nothing else but allow it, tears trickling down his face.

* * *

In the distance, she felt a powerful energy growing, and growing, as Calliope flew, carrying the small Saiyan child on her back. Her eyes widened as in the distance, she could see what appeared to be a male Namekian growing so large in height he could be seen over the forest she was quickly flying over, and her heart began to race with this new knowledge; she was thankful to see that her people had survived up until now, but also astounded that a male Namekian was here on Earth as well, and _that_ was the energy she had been following. There was something off about it all though, he seemed to have a malevolent dissonance in him that was all too familiar.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Thank you for reading this chapter, this Saga is nearly complete! Within just a few chapters, it will be over, and I will reveal the next Saga which will be the continuation of this story.
> 
> I have been keeping busy all week participating in Launchitz week over on Twitter, you can check out my drawings for each prompt over there, as well as keep updated on when new chapters are coming, and character art. royal_blue_roses.
> 
> Also, I would like to thank one of my most dedicated readers BeckyL1995 for her support, and I encourage you to read her story, What if: Namek.


	34. Fire In Her Eyes

Gohan looked up from behind his mother's leg, as he saw an identical woman standing in their home, in their kitchen washing dishes, happily humming to herself, before at last noticing their presence.

"Mom...?" He said softly, feeling puzzled by the scene that was so oddly familiar. She turned, a startled look on her face, and screamed. The china plate she was washing fell to the floor and shattered as the Chi-Chi within the darkness fainted. Kakarot quickly dove to catch her before she could hit her head off the floor, and caught her safely, cradling her head of carefully bound hair. He looked down at the woman passed out in his arms, then back at her identical twin, who had the back of her arm over her paled forehead, and was leaning back slightly, as she too was about to faint. Gohan flew up, and hoisted his real mother up beneath her arms, catching her before she could fall. The boy and Kakarot looked to one another, and couldn't help but laugh. Somehow, the situation, though tense, was humorous, because whether or not it was the Chi-Chi from the supposed 'real' Earth, or the Earth in the darkness, she still looked, and acted the same as far as they could tell.

They brought the women over and laid one of them on the couch, the other propped in a rocking chair. Gohan had the idea to get some cool cloths to rest on their foreheads, and so they did; Kakarot puzzled as to why he couldn't just shoot the women up with adrenaline, but when he thought more about it, they might just pass out again immediately afterwards.

He looked from his favored Chi-Chi, to the other, and was able to discern the difference by their clothes. His Chi-Chi was still wearing the street clothes from Bulma's wardrobe, a pair of faded blue jeans, and a green Gucci shirt with a red Letterman's jacket, while the other wore a blue cheongsam, with red pants. He sat besides the one he was familiar with, and took her hand, stroking it gently.

"Chi-Chi, wake up... Gohan has made you some tea." He said softly, and her long eyelashes fluttered open, her gaze up at him still unfocused for a moment, before widening. "How did-" She began, but he shushed her, helping her to sit up, little Gohan proudly toting a tray of tea and saucers.

"Look, I made chamomile tea! I know that's what you always have to relax. You used to give me this tea when I was upset." He said softly, and set it on the coffee table. Chi-Chi mustered a small smile, nodding as he poured the tea for her. She took it, and sipped, her eyes darting back to the other Chi-Chi, who still rested. It was alarming to see a mirror image of herself, but perhaps she should have expected this, after all, it_ is _the Darkness, and she has already met alternate versions of Gohan and Goku, so why _wouldn't_ there be an alternate version of herself?

Surely, this was all that fat white cat's planning, Korin must have known she would encounter herself, and presumed she would be able to handle it. Still, it was very odd.

_"Kakarot. Before she wakes up... let's take the dragon balls.."_ Chi-Chi whispered, and his brows perked up, surprised by her suggestion, he smirked deviously. Gohan gasped.

_"Mom, that's **stealing**!"_ He hissed through cupped hands, giving her a reprimanding glare. Chi-Chi waved her hand dismissively.

"It may be our best option... if we just take them and go, and she'll just think she had a crazy dream, and she may not _realize_ they're even gone!" She said wisely, knowing herself.

"Right, I'll see if we can locate them-" Kakarot began to say, taking out the radar, when all of a sudden, a lamp went flying, and smashed over his head.

"_**Murderer**! Thief! You no good, rotten pirate!" _Darkness Chi-Chi screamed, smashing the lamp over his head repeatedly as he attempted to protect his scalp, cringing with his hands over his head.

"Aw, fuck! That hurts like hell!" He hissed, curling over as Gohan ran over to attend to his father.

"Hey! Leave my husband alone, you bitch!" Chi-Chi yelled, standing up quickly to block her from further harming him, fuming with her rage.

"Oh? Who are you, some _cheap_ imitation of me? Look how you're _dressed!_ Not to mention, I heard you discussing how you were going to **steal** my dragon balls!" Darkness Chi-Chi retorted back, her hands on her hips.

"Ohh, you've done it now! I'll beat the grass outta you!" Chi-Chi growled back, clenching her fists, and moving into a fighting stance. She was clearly challenging the other Chi-Chi, who only blinked back with surprise.

"What, are you going to do, _fight_ me? You're nothing but a beast, why don't you just leave my house immediately, I was doing just fine all by myself!" She snapped, clearly this Chi-Chi wasn't a fighter like her alter self.

"I don't want to have to hurt you, but we need those dragon balls! I have to make a very important wish!"

"Wish, for _what?_ There is nothing more that can be done! This planet has been ruined, by that man right there!" She accused, pointing at Kakarot. Chi-Chi turned and looked at him, puzzled.

"What's she mean, it's been 'ruined' by you?" Chi-Chi asked him, and Kakarot shook bloody shards of ceramic out of his hair, standing to face her. He frowned, not answering for a moment, Chi-Chi met his eyes and found his dark obsidian irises reflecting back at her, visibly darkened by what emotion, she couldn't tell.

"Kakarot..?" She pleaded, placing her hands on the smooth leathery skin of his scarred cheeks. He blinked hard, pulling his face away from her hands, Chi-Chi released him regretfully, her hands clutching before her chest, which felt like it was bursting with her anxiety.

"...She's right. I **did** come here, and I **did** purge this planet. But, somehow I _missed_ her... everyone else, I..." He said solemnly, not losing her gaze.

"You... mean to say, you...?" Chi-Chi said breathlessly, bringing Gohan close to her, and covering his ears. Gohan pouted and pulled at her hands, wanting to know what he was trying to say.

"He's a dirty murderer, a purger, how can you have a child with that **monster**?" Darkness Chi-Chi snarled back, and the other turned her cheek to glare at her.

"Kakarot is not a murderer, tell her, you're not like that, are you?" Chi-Chi said, huffing indignantly.

Kakarot lowered his head, looking down at Gohan, then away. "I can't. I don't want to lie to a woman that looks so much like you... my mate. I did what I had to." He said, and turned his back on her, the red armour of his shoulder pads shining in the dim light of the small home like freshly spilt blood. Chi-Chi stiffened, her hazel eyes wide as she heard what he said, but somehow couldn't comprehend that this was real.

_"I don't believe you!"_

"Chi-Chi... I'm sorry. I've been afraid that this would happen. Perhaps it's best I just leave now." He said grimly, beginning to walk away.

"Dad!" Gohan yelled, breaking away from Chi-Chi. "No, Gohan!" Chi-Chi grabbed him by the arm, holding him back. Kakarot looked back slightly, his features drooping sadly. He reached into his armour, and took out the radar, setting it on the coffee table.

"I should have never pretended I could live here in a fantasy, with a beautiful wife, and such a smart kid. I should go back. I'm sure you'll be much better off without me. I hope you can find what you're looking for, and get back to your Goku..." Kakarot said softly, unable to look at Chi-Chi as tears streamed down her still angry face, while inside her heart was breaking. She pulled Gohan back behind her as he began to protest, wailing.

"Mom! Don't let him go!" He cried, pounding his fists on her leg.

"Have a nice life." She said coldly, and turned away, the other Chi-Chi coming to stand beside her.

Chi-Chi hung her head, holding Gohan back as Kakarot silently walked away, and the door closed with a soft click behind him. Chi-Chi's shoulders began to shake, as she felt tremors of her agony coursing through her, as if with Kakarot's leaving, Goku was dying all over again.

"Don't cry for him...This is for the better. As long as you promise he's not coming back, _maybe_ I'll consider letting you have my dragon balls." The other Chi-Chi said, and she nodded back; feeling only a tiny amount of gratitude in comparison to the hurt she felt.

"Let's get this mess cleaned up. Say, little Gohan is it? Do you like cookies?" Darkness Chi-Chi said, kneeling to look at him, as Gohan rubbed the tears from his eyes.

"I want my daddy... _Please_, we **have** to go after daddy!" He sniffled, attempting to stay brave. Chi-Chi shushed him, looking back briefly, and sighing, as the other went about cleaning up the mess.

"It's alright, Gohan. I'll wish your real father back. Just forget about Kakarot, ok?" Chi-Chi said, attempting to sound brave, before taking off to the kitchen, blinking back her own tears, and searching the kitchen for ingredients to make the cookies he was promised.

"...How can you _say_ that? How could he not be real, I saw him...He was there with us. Just like old times." Gohan said softly to himself more than her; blinking as he looked out the open window. Gohan was trying to see where Kakarot had gone, his small nose twitching slightly as he could still catch his father's scent in the air.

"Daddy may have been a bit different, but that was him. I _know_ him." Gohan said, and rested his hands on the window pane.

He was startled when the window slammed shut, the darkness Chi-Chi right behind him.

"Don't be ridiculous. That monster couldn't be a good father. He's _pure **evil**!" _She snapped, and pulled him away by his arm, Gohan tugging back.

"You're not my mommy! You're just a figment of my imagination!" He growled, and realized just how powerless this one was, compared to his real mother. He was able to pull away quickly, and jumped wildly for the window, not caring as it broke around him.

_"Gohan!" _Chi-Chi screamed, and ran from where she had been preparing the cookies to go in the oven. She helped the other her up onto her feet, and the darkness Chi-Chi began to cry, wholly afraid of the wild Saiyan child.

"I have to go get Gohan!" Chi-Chi said, and the other shook her head, pulling her down with her.

"No! Stay with me!" She shuddered, and Chi-Chi hesitated, looking back out the window, and contemplating her next move.

"Oh...um, okay... just for a bit, then... you have to understand, I must go after my son. Don't you have a son?" She said softly, and the other shook her head, no.

"No... I'm all alone! I never had the chance to fall in love, or get married! It's **horrible** here!" She sobbed, and Chi-Chi rubbed her back, sighing.

"It's alright... there, there..." She whispered, closing her eyes as she comforted the other version of her, her own thoughts not calming.

_Kakarot... Goku... Gohan! All gone!_

* * *

Kannon turned her head, suddenly startled by a loud thud in the distance. She stood from where her and Nappa had been sitting, conversing with the other Saiyans. Launch flew up from where she had been waiting for Raditz, and hung in the air a moment as she looked off into the distance.

"Something large is over there." Candor stated dryly, Zenaya coming to his side to stand beside Nappa, the three Elites protecting Kannon as if she were their ward.

"Sounds like trouble." Zenaya stated, flexing her long claws, and cracking her knuckles in preparation for some punching and scratching.

"General, should I scout it out?" Bdakka said gruffly, coming up from behind, with his mate, Rachanā, both crouched at the ready, with black and green camouflage on their olive toned cheeks, hoisting sharpened spears made from driftwood and obsidian.

"Go on, but be careful." Nappa said curtly, nodding for them to go through the marshy valley between the bluffs, and the small campsite.

"What Onioan can do, General?" He said, and an almost equally heavy thump could be heard, as he thumped a massive halberd into the ground, the weapon was made of solid steel and obsidian, at least a foot and a half across, and at most, 6 foot long. It was no trouble for Onioan, who grinned, happy to have a replica of his old execution blade.

"Stay with Kannon. We'll go out ahead." Nappa said, ignoring Kannon's groan of disappointment.

"I wanna fight too!" She groused, crossing her arms, and spitting onto the ground.

"And you will, once you have your full training like a Saiyan. For now, I trust you'll be fine with Onioan." Nappa said seriously, and Kannon nodded, one hand clutching the tassel of her cannon blaster.

The three spread out, hovering just inches above the ground, as the massive Namekian could be seen approaching.

Launch yelled, making all the hidden Saiyans suddenly tense.

_"Raditz!" _She cried, a burst of golden energy coming out around her in defense of her mate, her blonde hair curling on the heat like a halo around her as she sped towards the possessed Piccolo like a bullet. She made a battle cry, and began pumping bullets into the massive Namekian, Vulcane laughing upon seeing her hoisting up her automatic weapon.

Raditz attempted to turn his head, but he was still under control by the female Gemini, who detached herself from the Namekian's neck, and hovered in mid air, coming up behind Raditz, and holding the blade over his throat.

"Let me go!" He snarled, his body quivering as he attempted to thrash out of her paralysis.

"I can't do that..." Tianshae said lifelessly, staring past him, and instead at Launch.

Launch cackled as her bullets glowed golden, thrilled by this new power that she had, she mindlessly let bullets fly out the barrel, pelting the Namekian; tiny streams of purple blood leaking out as her ki-charged bullets started to actually pierce him.

"Yeah!" She cheered, waving her gun at Raditz, bragging.

"Launch, get out of here!" Raditz yelled, and she turned her head, frowning back at him. "No way, I'm here to knock him back down to size!"

"So, you are the esteemed Launch... What's that, a tail?" The large Namekian spoke, coming up, and snatching her out of the air by her tail. She screamed hoarsely, wriggling around a moment, before slumping, her aura fading. Her gun drooped from her hands, the clip entirely unloaded.

"Launch!" Raditz cried, his aura blasting out around him bright red, with bolts of white lightning. Tianshae flinched back, her eyes wide as she tensed behind him. The Saiyan growled, remembering his tail behind him, he suddenly wrapped it around her throat cruelly, hoisting her up behind him, and shaking her once roughly. Tianshae coughed, the decorative blade loosening in her hand.

"Pull these sticks out of my back, or I'm choking you to death!" Raditz demanded, his eyes boring into her with a death glare. "Yes, I shall obey..." The Gemini woman gulped, nodding her head quickly, then going to remove them. Vulcane reared Piccolo's head around, sending death beams from his eyes, and honing their searching gaze onto Raditz. He screamed out in agony as he was burned by the light, his tail loosening its grip around Tianshae's throat. She jumped back as she was released, clutching her throat as she panted to regain her breath.

"You will be next if you disobey me again, Tianshae!" Vulcane snarled, stepping forth once, but not before flinching, as he felt pain lancing through his knees. Spears peppered his legs, as Bdakka and Rachanā attacked him, aiming to disable him. "Pesky simians!" He snarled, and leaned back, squatting slightly as he pushed the spears out of his knees with his telekinesis, sending them flat to the ground, cowering as their own spears went flying. Piccolo's body was slowed just slightly, slowly shrinking from the blood loss. He picked Launch up, and sniffed her, then hissed.

"Gemini blood mingled with that of a Saiyan...? Disgusting..." He growled, and released her, allowing her to float in his aura in the chance he lost enough strength and needed a boost of her curious blood.

"Put her down!" Nappa yelled, flying up from the ground, Candor and Zenaya flying to the sides of him. Bdakka and Rachanā stayed on the ground, readying their weapons.

"Oh, what a pleasure to see you, General Nappa! Commander of the Saiyan Army, Frieza's ass-sniffing pet!" Vulcane spat, making Nappa's lip curl back angrily.

Vulcane chuckled upon seeing Nappa; greeting him with open arms as if he were an old friend.

"I'm afraid I can't say I'm so happy to see you, if that is you, Emperor Vulcane, Leader of the Gemini Cult, hiding in that giant, green Namek! Now, let Launch go!" Nappa bellowed up at Vulcane, looking back at Launch floating, unconscious in the Namekian's massive aura.

"Is that girl something special to you?" Vulcane snorted, his hands clenching, a ridged green brow twitching.

"She's my daughter! I'd drop her, if I were you!" Nappa demanded, his fists clenched back in a challenge, his body shaking with frantic sparks of golden energy, with a teal aura.

Vulcane chuckled again, tossing his head back and bearing his white fangs.

"Drop her! I'll drop her, **dead**!" He laughed, and moved his eyes to hone in on her, releasing her from his aura, and sending her hurtling to the ground. Zenaya flew like a bullet, her scarlet cape a target as she flew to catch Launch, not realizing a paralyzing beam was headed straight for her, as she caught Launch, and they were both struck, falling to the ground in a heap of dust.

There was a loud battle roar, as suddenly, a horde or Saiyans was attacking Vulcane from every angle, Nappa at the head of the attack, with sheer rage in his eyes. Nappa released an unexpected mouth cannon, sending it straight for Vulcane, striking him directly in the chest, and knocking the wind from him. He backed away, grunting as the bright ki blasts, and spears all flew at him, and he made a sudden cry that rocked through the beach side, echoing off the bluffs.

_"Sleepers! Awaken!"_ He shouted, and around him the others froze, wondering what his next command would bring about. Kannon ran up, and began shouting, swinging her cannon blaster at him. "You **can't** do that! It's over, the Geminis are _free_ from the cult!" She clipped, and went to blast for his glowing third eye to try and stop the command from having effect, but it was already too late, as a bright light suddenly glowed from far off, to the north, and her cannonball was easily swept away with one large palm, falling uselessly to the ground, where it exploded with a puff of dust.

"It's too late, Kannon. I hope your little cannon is up to the challenge! You always were one of the best of my weapons! Besides Grenada, he was my fire in the hole!"

"He's dead, and never coming back! I made _sure_ of that!" She roared with her anger, her green eyes like absinthe fire in a sea of red, as her aura blasted out around her, and she once again reached for the tassel, the entire barrel of the cannon turning molten red. Vulcane smirked, his third eye alighting.

"...My favorite...Grenada was my _favorite_, what did you **do** to him...?" He seethed lowly, his eyes darting around suspiciously.

"He was caught in a little 'full-frontal' explosion! Now, let's try it again, motherfucker!" She snapped, and Vulcane grinned, the other Saiyans fanning out as she went to attack again.

"Gladly!" He enthused happily, and turned his eyes back on her, just as Kannon's rage came to a head, and she pulled the trigger, a white hot cannonball coming out, blasting. Vulcane's eyes widened, and he stumbled back, but not in time to avoid her blast. The cannonball hit it's intended target, and he screamed out with his pain, as the third eye was penetrated, and exploded from the inside out with a gush of fluid running down his face, leaving a gaping wound, which had thankfully not reached Piccolo's brain.

"Great job, Pinch!" Nappa said, coming up to her side. Kannon nodded, her rage momentarily subsided.

"I hope it worked." She said, her voice shaking.

"Why? His eye's been blasted right out his head, that's what you wanted, right?" He responded, not understanding why she still wore a distasteful grimace on her face.

"Yeah, but..."

"Kannon!" A high pitched voice suddenly accused, and she whirled around with surprise.

Propel, Reign and their multiple children were standing before them, having just stepped out of a hover plane.

"Propel...? What did... What happened?" She asked, taking in the sight of her cult sister, with bright fuchsia hair, and blazing amber eyes; glazed over with Vulcane's mind controlling effects. She was hefting a massive rocket launcher over her shoulder.

"Objective: Kannon!" She yelled, and pumped the barrel. Kannon quickly jumped back, startled by her old friend's actions, but also, well knowing what she was capable of.

"Watch out! They're all his sleeper cells!" She yelled, and ducked, as the explosive missile arched up into the air, then boomed behind them, as Propel prepared to load it again. Reign looked around himself for his objective; his hazel eyes devoid of any emotion, the center eye alighting green as he found his own objective.

"Objective: Candor. Onioan. Children, assist." He said flatly, and the six children came out around him, the boys and girls all hoisting various weapons.

"Implode. Object: Nappa." Reign stated, pulling back the curly haired little girl, and tossing her towards Nappa.

"No!" Kannon screamed, suddenly, running to Propel, she grabbed the barrel of her RPG. She gripped onto it, and held on for dear life as Propel grew angered, a pink aura pulsing out flashily around her.

"Propel, you can't let this happen! What'll happen to Implode?! She and Nappa will be destroyed!" Kannon shouted, and Nappa heard her, jumping back from the little child that was tossed towards him. Implode landed in the sand, and began crawling towards his boot, as he struggled to decide whether to run towards Kannon, and help her, or risk having the child attack him from the back.

"She is only doing her duty! That's what the name implies, is it not? With each saiyan's death, a new gemini is born!" Vulcane shouted, and laughed hysterically, no longer making any sense.

Nappa tossed Implode back from himself, backing up toward Kannon, as the little girl rolled across the sand, and came to a stop, sitting up.

"Implode! Return to your objective!" Propel shouted angrily. While she was distracted, Kannon turned her weapon into a plastic toy, which only shot foam bullets. Propel went to shoot at Nappa, but he was hit with one of the foam missiles, and smirked at her as she shook her RPG, realizing it was a toy, she tossed it to the ground with a huff.

"Kannon!" She fumed, and blasted herself towards Implode, taking the child in her arms, and crossing them tightly over the child. "What are you doing? Don't do this!" Kannon cried out desperately, Nappa grabbing her, and pulling her up to his chest as he took flight.

"What are the chances their names don't imply exactly what the hell I **_think_** they do!?" Nappa sneered, and Kannon glared up at him, shaking her head.

"_Zero!_ How fast can you fly?" She snapped, and Nappa nodded, blasting off into the sky as quickly as possible. Propel prepared herself for take off, pink steam rolling out from around her legs, as her body quivered; lighting up from within with golden fire that illuminated all the way through, and shone out of her eyes, the volitile child in her arms clutched to her chest tightly.

Then, she took off with incredible speed, propelling up into the sky with a piercing whistle, until she could no longer be seen by the naked eye. Vulcane observed this, and smirked; confident that his dutiful Propel would outrun Nappa.

He turned his eyes onto the battle, watching the others. Reign was challenging Onioan and Candor, but the Elite was on the defensive; blocking Reign from attacking Onioan, darting back and forth and catching his katanas in his hands, effortlessly batting them away.

Reign began to become angered with each blocking of his blades, and evoked the hidden power within him; his aura becoming dark emerald green as he slashed his katanas through the air, sending out tendrils of his aura, matching the green python tattoos that wrapped around his back and arms, like the ones that had been on his red gi.

The tendrils began manifesting into the pythons, which shot out, then latched onto Candor and Onioan, and bit viciously into their necks; rendering their movements inert. Reign pulled the pythons back taut, and grinned cruelly, now able to move Candor and Onioan at will. He had the power to influence their bodies to move however he wished, and so he chose to aim them against each other; the tendrils wrapping around Onioan's large halberd, and then tightening, as Reign pulled. The heavy sword swept down violently down towards Candor, who screamed as it crushed into his armour, and shattered his clavicle, making blood burst from his shoulder.

"Candy! I didn't mean to hurt you!" Onioan yelled, and desperately attempted to pull his sword back, but was unable.

"It's alright, Onioan! Stay still!" Candor said through grit teeth, squeezing his eyes shut as blood leaked down his front, glancing back at Zenaya and Launch lying in the sand, unconscious. His features sank, looking hopeless a moment, before bravening his features for the executioner.

"Onioan... keep the sword there, hold it still as hard as you can, no matter how much he pulls on you!" Candor said sternly, then his head slumped forward.

"No! Don't go to sleep! Candy!" Onioan wailed, watching him for a moment, pouting as he glanced back to the female Elite, and understood, gulping.

"Stay still." Onioan whispered, and glanced back at Reign, whose eyes met his, and were so oddly empty; they struck him as _dead...?_ But Reign wasn't dead, Onioan knew dead, he had seen the look when chopping off heads. Onioan could _smell_ something in him, something rotten like the decayed old man, and growled. Veins stood out on his skin, the hulking, massive saiyan bared his sharp canines at him, and snarled, pulling on the tendrils. Reign blinked; something like fear sparking in his eyes, then the haze returned again.

"Death. You reeks of it. What did nasty man do to make you dead in eyes, but from outside, alive?" Onioan said, and Reign jerked the pythons again; making Onioan yelp out with fear as Candor was slightly jostled, not stirring. Onioan resisted the venom numbing his body, and stood stiffly, keeping the blade right where it needed to stay until Launch was awake again.

Meanwhile, Bdakka and Rachanā were defending themselves against the five remaining children; deflecting bullets and projectiles.

"Right, dart!" Bdakka spat, dodging from the sharp dart spinning between him and Rachanā, the woman quickly listening, and leaning away.

"There's too many children! I can't hurt them!" Rachanā cried, batting away the rocks, darts, and spinning blades, holding her greaves out before her as she winced; a throwing star whirring past, and cutting the tendons in her hand.

"Rachanā!" Bdakka defended, turning his back on the children to protect her, and gasping, as the devious little hands grabbed at his cut off tail, and yanked the stocky Saiyan man flat down on his back. They found Rachanā's was only a mere stump, and stabbed her there with a spear. She screamed and fell back, her body seizing and trembling from the attack that shocked her nervous system.

They pinned the two down with their own weapons, and kept watch over them, Bdakka grunting as he was spread out and nailed to the ground, turning his head weakly to Rachanā, and reaching his fingers out to barely touch hers.

"I won't let us die this way... Not today."

She blinked back, speaking to him mentally, _Stay and rest. Once our strength is back... We can attack. Please be silent, Bdakka... If we keep quiet and wait, perhaps our prince will return._

Bdakka nodded solemnly, turning his face back to the sky, and growling lowly with each angered breath.

_I will wait, but not for his Highness to save us. Once I am free, I will slaughter each Gemini. Every man, woman and child, until I taste blood and see death before my eyes. _He thought coldly, and rolled his eyes onto the Gemini to watch and wait for the right moment.

Vulcane turned and saw to it Reign still had a good grip on Onioan, then lowered his fingernail down to dip it in Candor's blood, then pulled it back and licked it, swiping his tongue across his lips, hissing with pleasure.

"..Good work detaining the big moronic one, Reign. Propel is advancing on her enemy. Children, you've done well to immobilize the Saiyans...Now all that's left is to leech their power, then I will reign supreme over this planet, with the power of every last Saiyan, and Namekian!"

Raditz rumbled, agitated as he heard this, knowing he was utterly out of options. He frowned and looked down at the ground,where Launch and Zenaya lay unconscious. There was little else he could do now but hang in the air; unsure of what he could even do. He had one last idea, it was a wild shot, but he made it, closing his eyes.

_Vegeta! Come back to the battle site, quickly!_

As he whispered this in Vegeta's mind, a new energy was approaching, yet Calliope was hesitant to enter the battlefield at that moment, looking at the injured child on her back, then at the destruction surrounding the large Namekian.

"This is not our way. Why has he become corrupted? Who is **he** to harm the children of Saiyå?" Calliope said with a deep frown, looking up to the planets, and channeling her energy outwards to make a connection with the mother Namekian; Guardian of Ryokama, Obœ.

_Yes...I_ _ see... he's possessed one of ours. I am too weak to stop it, there is a Gemini within that Namekian, and he has my power ensnared to fuel his Eclipse... the longer he is standing... the less of it I am capable of withstanding._

_What shall I do? _Calliope frowned, looking back at Vulcane, who was at last slowly shrinking now that he thought the battle had been won.

_Speak to him, and the Namekian in him may listen._ Obœ whispered, then her aura began withering away, and Calliope nodded, standing from the bushes where she had been hiding. She stepped out onto the sand, the dark sky full of smoke darkening into purple as she slowly approached him. Vulcane looked at Launch down on the ground, hearing soft steps, he glanced and saw Calliope advance, then turned his head back quickly.

"Brother Namekian. What are you doing?" She said hatefully, capturing his attention. Vulcane stood, and smirked to himself secretly, remembering that his own outward appearance was deceiving.

"What do you mean, Sister? I'm only eliminating these other aliens. Gemini, Saiyans, they're all just savage beasts." He said lowly, using Piccolo's baritone voice, refusing to turn and look at her.

"Oh..? To me it seemed like they were uprising against you, and you called your pawns out in defense of your weakness." She said scathingly, not believing the imitation of the other Namekian. Raditz and Tianshae watched, Raditz's teeth gritting as he hoped something could be awoken with the arrival of this female Namekian.

"All rulers have subjects, would a queen bloody her own hands in battle?" He purred, turning towards her, and licking his lips. Calliope flinched back, not expecting her body to tense up like it did. A cold shiver went through her, disgusted by the foul being attempting to trick her using Piccolo's appearance. She growled back at him, taking a careful step back.

"I don't know you. I cannot recognize this man's features, but I sense he is one of the dragon clan. But I am not so easily swayed. I know you are there, Vulcane." She spat tersely, and was able to bring out a protective barrier around her and the child on her back.

"What is that you've brought me? A snack for the attractive male Namekian?" He teased, and Calliope growled, clutching Gohan tighter.

"This child is... special to this one. His small body was pulling its energy towards him. I was simply following it's whim, and hoping that there was a cure for the little one." She said defensively, and Piccolo's eyes widened. Calliope gulped, seeing her effect on him.

"His neck is broken. I cannot heal him, I do not have that power. But perhaps... you know of a way? Or else, he will continue slowly suffocating." She said softly, glancing up into his eyes, her antennae drooping with her assent.

Vulcane, for a moment, felt trapped in the Namekian, as he slowly responded to the female's voice, his own antennae gently raising, and twitching. Piccolo looked to the child on her back, and hesitated to do anything that could be an irrational action.

"Bring him... to.." Piccolo began to say, then Vulcane punched him quickly in the gut, doubling over the body he was using.

"Silence! Did I say you could speak?!"

"**Dorigelop crafca kørīn!**" Piccolo spat in Namekian, and Calliope quickly nodded, understanding that he was directing her to Korin, using the subtle movements of his antennae.

"**Rabish faha**." She responded, thanking him as she bowed, and leapt up, taking flight. Vulcane watched her ascension, and thought about following her, but his attention was quickly caught by something else, as he advanced toward Tinashae.

"There is a matter I must attend to. Do not leave the Saiyans. If any of them make a move, **kill** them." He spat demandingly, and she nodded obediently.

"Yes, Master. I will always love and obey my Lord Vulcane." She said, pulling his sword up to her chest to present it to him.

"Careful." He hissed, and hesitated, pulling the sheath from his belt, and sliding it over the blade.

"Take care not to cut thyself, 'wife'." He snarled, thrusting it into her hands, then stalking away. Tianshae looked down at the blade, then walked away, going to stay and keep guard over the Saiyans.

* * *

"...We've stabilized the chamber, and reinforced the exterior walls, but it has not been tested on a subject, when a steel brick was placed inside at 150gs, it crumpled from the force. So, you see Ms. Brief, it wasn't feasable to test on anything else at 200gs, because there are no sustainable test objects that would survive the g forces- Wait, where are you going?" The technician with the nametag reading 'Elbert Reed' trailing behind her gasped, watching as Bulma and her body builder looking boyfriend walked right up to the machine.

"You know, I appreciate your efforts, but I just don't think you understand the process. Someone with as limited brain capacity as you couldn't possibly comprehend that there are other potentialities past the limitations of this little campus laboratory, ergo; my test subject." Bulma grinned, and placed both hands around Vegeta's bicep, him smirking as the little man scrambled backwards, bumping into a group of lab lackeys.

Elbert got to his feet, and crossed his arms, humphing derisively.

"Sure, all brawn, and no brain! If he wants to be a lab rat, be my guest! Does he even speak English?" The technician snorted, pushing his glasses up as he gestured towards Vegeta, who narrowed his eyes back at him.

"You know, when your father recommended me, I thought that maybe through working together, you would come to learn that it's not all about the circumference of a man's bicep, and more about the mass of his brain. Maybe I'm not as beefy as this fellow here, but at least if you were engaged to a capable man more like me, you wouldn't have to be embarrased when your friend here tracks dirt on the nice linoleum when he comes home-" Bulma stormed up to the man, and snatched the clipboard out of his hand, coming so close up to him that their noses practically touched.

Vegeta simply smirked, crossing his arms. He knew that he could trust Bulma, and he found it amusing to watch her push around the inferior male.

"Elbert, I wouldn't touch you with a ten foot pole if you were the **_last_** man on earth. You think I only like Vegeta because of his muscles, and not his brain? You have a lot to learn still, little man!" She snapped, and took the clipboard. When she snatched it, she gasped, her face going a pale shade of green. Instead of status reports, and important information, what she found was her name written all over the paper, reading "Bulma Elbert Reed" or "Elbert Briefs" as if he would marry her and take her name, and along with that, her fame!

"What the hell have you been doing all this time!? How old are you, 5?!" She steamed, tossing the useless clipboard to the floor. Vegeta sighed, and strolled over to the machine, looking up at the great sphere above him, then the cubic structure above him.

"Really Elbert, I should have you fired!-You know what, someone start cleaning out my desk! I'm done with this place! I'm moving onto bigger, and BETTER things!" Bulma ranted on, but Vegeta only rolled his eyes, as he walked around the ship, and began removing the stability ties. He was feeling anxious to fight and test out his new strength, and having this machine in their own backyard would be a great way to blow off that excess adrenaline.

"Ms. Briefs! You can't leave! We need you here-" The other techies began to beg, as Bulma took the box from her lab desk, and followed behind Vegeta, walking over to a panel on the wall, and beginning to quickly type in the security code. She completed the sequence, then it took her finger print, loading a moment, before beeping in confirmation. She winked at Vegeta, and he smirked, watching with a wry grin as the entire wall of the campus laboratory opened up, the techies all clamoring, and grabbing flying papers as a gust of wind blew in.

"Au Revoir! auf Wiedersehen!" Bulma yelled sarcastically she waved goodbye to them. Vegeta sneered, leaving Elbert staring at him in wonder, as he flipped him off.

"Just so you you know, in case you only speak English, my girlfriend is saying goodbye, and this finger is sign language for **fuck you!" **He yelled, as a loud blast of wind rushed past, knocking down everything downwind of him.

"The higher-ups will hear of this! Bulma Briefs, your responsibilities here are finished!" Elbert yelled, and Bulma tossed her head back and laughed, Vegeta wrapping one arm around her waist, as he hoisted the gravity chamber up over his head.

"I **am** the President, dumb nuts! Go back to cleaning beakers, I'm leaving, don't save my seat!" She teased, waving him off as Vegeta jumped over the precipice, then took flight back to Capsule Corporations.

"Was that satisfying for you?" Vegeta smirked, nuzzling his nose against her blue head of hair. Bulma sighed, looking at her gold painted acrylic nails as he flew.

"Not as much as it will be rolling around on the floor of this baby with you," She giggled, turning and giving him a kiss. Vegeta smiled into her lips, and pushed himself faster, excited to see just how much pleasure a little pressure from the chamber would potentially add to their next love-making session, when out of nowhere, he heard Raditz.

"Oh, don't tell me-That bastard isn't **dead** YET!?" Vegeta growled, tightening his grip on Bulma.

"Yes, yes, I'm coming to your rescue!" He spat back, he was a little disappointed he couldn't play with the Gravity Chamber, but even _more_ enticed by the promise of battle. Bulma looked to him in question, as they passed over her mother's green flower gardens, coming up to the expansive property that was all belonging to the Briefs.

"I'm afraid I'll have to miss our little training session for now, that mop head's gotten himself in a bit of a mess." Vegeta grumbled, glancing around at the grass, and looking for where he should place the chamber. Bulma pointed to the lawn by where they were setting up the entertainment hall, another of the large circular structures on the property.

"Right here, this is where we'll have the science expo." Bulma said, and Vegeta flew down, removing the chamber from his shoulder with a small wince. Bulma rubbed his muscles down and kissed his shoulder, then rested her face there.

"The Geminis?" She questioned, and he nodded.

"Looks like I'll get another chance at revenge after all." Vegeta smirked, cracking his knuckles, visibly growing impatient.

"Alright, but not without your new armour on. I didn't reinforce it with the anti-metal component for nothing. Do I get a front seat...?" She teased, tracing a circle on his chest. Vegeta rumbled, catching her hand tightly, looking at her seriously.

He didn't want to risk her getting harmed in the battle, but... He also didn't want her to be too far away, like before. Bulma noticed him pausing for a moment, and glared up at him.

"Well? Do you want me to just **sit** here, pining away, surrounded by frilly dresses and flower arrangements... Or, would you rather have me witness you finally giving those Geminis what's coming to them?"

"Do you get off on watching me, little woman?" He chuckled, and she shrugged slightly, turning around, and pulling him by the hand. She smirked secretly to herself, and began walking away.

"In your dreams!" She said, and Vegeta swept her up, no longer wishing to dawdle, he flew off in a hurry towards the main lab.

"Sure. Just don't scare too badly when the blood splashes everywhere, remember, you look good in red." He sneered, and Bulma shook her head at him, then rested against his chest, closing her eyes as she reminisced about the first time he had held her like this, carrying her like a Princess.

* * *

A vast expanse of ample ass was on display, as a sexy blonde haired woman leaned over the glass counter, and blew a giant pink bubblegum bubble directly above the pawn shop dealer's head, as he inspected Yamcha's discarded gold tooth with a magnifying eye glass.

"Is she genuine?" Oolong said poutily, blinking his fake lashes at the man. The dealer stood back, collapsing his little magnifying glass and tucking it in his pocket.

"Genuine, sure... But, it's not 24 carat gold.

I could give you an estimate of anywhere from $55, $60, given you throw in those gold hoop earrings, maybe I could up it to $75." The dealer said slyly, as Oolong sighed and unclipped his large earrings. The dealer examined the earrings, and determined that they were only gold plated, so he settled on $65. Oolong snorted, his frizzy blonde hair puffing out of his face as the dealer laid the bills across the counter, feeling highly unsatisfied with the final price.

"Say, perhaps you could slide me a little extra cash, and I'd let you have a peek of my cherry cupcakes..." Oolong whispered, gradually pulling at the top of his strapless dress, sweat beginning to drip down the back of his curvaceous ass, where as he wiggled it, a curly-Q tail suddenly popped out.

"Are you tryin' to bribe me?" The pawn shop dealer accused, backing up a step.

"No... I'm just sayin', uh... I think you're cute!" He snorted, and floppy ears popped out of the top of his head. Oolong scrambled to get what money he could into his purse, as the transformation process back into a pig was taking place.

"Wait.. are you feeling alright, miss..?" The man questioned, looking on curiously as Oolong's body started to twitch, his tanned skin going pink, as he quickly backed up, hiding the curly tail as he waved and winked goodbye.

"Yes, um, just a little stomach upset! Uh, you know what, I think I'll just take this after all! Thanks!" He said hurriedly, and backed out the door, quickly transforming. He hid up against the side of the brick building, panting, then grabbed the purse, and ran back to Yamcha's house.

Yamcha had just finished packing, and they were loading the rest of his belongings into the back of his car, when Oolong ran up, waving the purse.

"Wait! I got your money, Yamcha!" He yelled, nearly falling in the too big high heeled shoes, which he realized he was still wearing, and tossed. The car came to a stop and they let him in, snickering at his appearance.

"Yeah yeah, it was too close of a call for me to change back properly! The important thing is, ah.. About the money..." Oolong hesitated, tapping his fingers together nervously as Yamcha quickly looked back.

"I sorta wasn't able to get as much as I'd hoped... so if you want that tux by Saturday, we're gonna have to make some sacrifices...Master Roshi?" Oolong said hintingly, and the old man tensed.

"What? I don't have anything of value, what are ya' lookin at me fer?"

Yamcha and Oolong looked at eachother knowingly, and Oolong winked back at him.

"...You know, those magazines, Le cheróus P'er Vert is really worth a pretty penny now'adays, I heard a guy brought in a couple of copies and traded them in, and he had _more_ than enough for a whole stack of brand new Slum Dancer's magazines, he got nice new duds, and a ring for his gal..." Oolong said slyly, watching Master Roshi's expression as he crossed his arms in the passenger's seat.

"Wow, I sure wish I had some of those! I'd love to get Miyuki a really good corsage, none of those fake flowers, you know? I just don't have enough money... It hurts just to think about her disappointed face when she goes to smell them, and they're fake... man, she'd probably never want to go out with me again...Oh, well.. what can you do? Right, Master Roshi?" Yamcha said dejectedly, looking towards him with saucer-like eyes.

The old man harrumphed, looking away, then hearing the sad sighs from the surrounding passengers, and Puar and Turtle held hands and sobbed.

"Oh, I'll never see Miss Miyuki again! She would have loved to meet you, Turtle old friend!"

"She sounds wonderful! I'm so lonesome without sweet Launch around! There's no other girl like her that could be so kind as to polish my shell!"

"Or brush my fur, and feed me those special treats from her hand!" Puar added on, wailing to get more sympathy.

"We sure will miss Miyuki... It's going to be just a lonely, smelly old man-cave at Kame house!" Oolong added, shaking his head.

"Launch was great at cleaning, but with that fluffy tail, I bet Miyuki could do _even better!" _Puar added, the others nodding in agreement. Master Roshi's eyebrows twitched, and he wiped his nose with a handkerchief. Turtle blew his nose exceptionally hard on Yamcha's leather jacket, then pulled back with surprise.

"Oops, sorry Yamcha... guess you don't want to wear that, if only you had a tuxedo, and maybe a nice hat..."

_"AWLRIGHT ALREADY!" _Master Roshi bellowed, and slammed Yamcha's foot on the pedal.

"Drive, drive god-dang it! I may be having my nudie mag stash robbed, but I don't wanna go without seeing little Miss Kitty for the rest of my life!" He screamed, and Yamcha's tires squealed, as he peeled out, and all the passengers screamed.

"Woo-Hoo! Looks like I've still got a date!" Yamcha whooped, giving the Corvette some gas, and whooshing off towards Master Roshi's place.

* * *

Nappa clutched Kannon tightly to himself, flying as fast as he was able, the wind whipped around them fearsomely as he blew past the city line, taking off over the vast forest. He looked behind himself, and saw that Propel was nowhere to be seen. Nappa lowered, cradling Kannon more comfortably.

"Is she gone?" She questioned, looking up at him with large ruby eyes. Nappa frowned, knowing that Kannon must have been pinched by the tight grip he was holding her with as he stroked her soft blue hair.

"I can't see her at the moment... but I can hear her. She's somewhere close." He said warily, looking back for a second. He eyed a rough patch of brambles down in the forest, and started to go for it, intending to hide Kannon somewhere in the brush.

"Nappa? Where are we going? She'll catch up in any minute!" Kannon said anxiously, looking down at the ground, then back up. He hesitated to speak, his dark eyes not forthcoming. Kannon sighed, resigned to the fact that Nappa stubbornly thought it was his responsibility to always protect her, no matter how many times she proved she was capable. He flew her down to the ground, and made an opening in the brush, then gave her a small push, and she crawled through, grown timid by her transformation, she obliged, then turned herself around in the small space, and peered up at him through the thorny vines.

"Don't move a muscle, promise?" Nappa said, arranging the thorns around her protectively. Kannon nodded, curling herself into a small ball as she nodded to the big man.

"I'll sit tight then, and be as quiet as a mouse!" She whispered, giggling as if they were playing hide and seek.

"I'll be right back." He said, then began to fly up, before being side swiped by something so fast, he didn't have the chance to avoid it.

"Nappa!" Kannon gasped, her hands over her mouth as Nappa jerked violently to the side, a large gash in his hip, his tail moving away from his bloodied side, flicking off the blood oozing from where his armour had been obliterated. He didn't even take a split second to assess his injury, whirling back around towards the direction of his attacker.

"Slow the fuck down! Or I'll shoot you down!" Nappa growled, gritting his teeth as he searched the skies with his eyes, looking frantically back and forth for Propel. There was a small tinkling sound like laughter, then the rumble like a small jet engine, as Propel blasted past. Nappa jumped to the side, avoiding her as she was only a pink streak in the air. He squinted to see her, then lept up, avoiding the tightening circle she was flying around him. Nappa hovered above as Propel still spun, putting two hands together, he blasted down into the circle, and his ki blast ricocheted off her small tornado, pink smoke billowing out as Propel moved slower and struggled to escape the blast, before Nappa shot down once more, hitting the previous one, and sending it blooming outward. Propel widened her circle, and quickly flew off to the side, small flashes of her visible as she phased back and forth towards Nappa, visibly wounded.

Nappa prepared himself to strike, as the Gemini grew nearer by the second, phasing closer. Nappa held his hands out, and released a flurry of small ki blasts, blanketing the entire area as she appeared and dissapeared, attempting to avoid the barrage.

"Face it! You may be fast, but Gemini's aren't made as tough as Saiyans!" Nappa chuckled, forgetting his own mate was a Gemini for a split second.

"Watch how you talk about the cult!" Propel said, her voice wispy as she darted back, and was struck by multiple blasts, curling up into the fetal position, and cradling Implode even tighter. Nappa kept blasting her, watching how a pink aura was wavering around her skin, her body still shaking and glowing golden from within like a jet engine about to take off.

"Propel! It's not worth it! You're under Vulcane's control!" Kannon shouted up from the brambles, gripping them with the soft leather of her fingerless gloves, and pulling.

"Nappa! If you keep blasting, you're only going to make her more volatile!" Kannon cried out, in attempting to escape the brush, a thorn cut her cheek, and that small amount of blood was enough to capture his attention, and he turned his nose quickly to the scent.

"Pinchie! Stay hidden!" He growled, furious that she was interfering, and giving herself away to the enemy. Propel glanced back, unfurling from her position, as the small child in her arms was glowing red, with swirls of hot magmatic orange.

"Can't you see? He's nothing but a dumb monkey. He treats you like you; as a weapon, are worthless to him. A smart man would keep his weapon well-oiled." Propel purred in that listless tone, turning her dull amber eyes tinged with gold sparks back onto him.

"Kannon? She's not a weapon!" Nappa snapped, offended by this odd little woman. He had to admit he was startled to hear this, he had always thought that Gemini females were inherently powerless. They transformed and became fearless, and were capable of making a siren's song that would make a Saiyan's ears bleed, but... Were the cult all _different_ somehow? Why were some named for the weapons they represented, but others weren't? Then, that meant, Launch was...? Nappa looked back at Propel quickly, gears turning in his mind. He was no rocket scientist, but he knew what those words meant.

"Propel... if that _is_ your real name, I'm not sure if you'd even remember me... If you were born at the time your planet was purged, then all the knowledge you have of your people's genocide has been biased. I never wanted to hurt your people..." Nappa spoke softly, watching as Propel fumed silently, the pink smoke still flowing around her, Kannon reaching one arm out of the brush hopelessly as she could barely watch through her sobs.

"My position as an Elite Guard was bastardized after the destruction of my planet. Frieza turned the last remaining Saiyans into his personal lap dogs, and if I didn't kill each Gemini quickly, and scrape the planet clean...My wards- my _sons_ would have been his mincemeat." Nappa said, lowering his shining bald pate laced with veins.

Kannon took a sharp intake of breath as she heard this, blinking the tears hard from her eyes. When Nappa said ward, or referred to Raditz and Vegeta as charges, he meant that they were his adopted sons, merely under his protection, and advisement in their growth. To actually call them his sons, meant as the alpha male of all of them, he considered all those dear to him part of his clan, whether Gemini, or half-breed, to be his family.

"Kannon was to be my wife, and he took that from me... I want to kill Frieza just as badly as your Lord Vulcane. I would think perhaps you could understand, seeing as... he took you from your family and made you all weapons." Nappa said with finality, watching as Propel bit down on her bottom lip, her amber eyes wavering with moisture, as the blood quickly became tinged with a golden gleam, and dripped down onto the little girl preparing for her first and final implosion. The blood quickly absorbed, Nappa looking on, puzzled. Kannon's body shook with her anxiety as Propel bit her tongue, and spit, hacking on her own blood as she forced herself to bleed on the child.

"That's enough. Put the girl down, or you'll have to fight me. I tried to speak some sense into you, but I see that had no effect." Nappa sneered, clenching his fingers as electricity crackled around them, watching the slow drip of blood onto the child that seemed to only make her glow more intensely. Kannon whimpered, pulling vines away from herself, as she feared for their safety, her own self preservation became irrelevant, with the scraping of her palms on the thorns, she winced, pulling them to her chest and sobbing. She hated that she was born with this inherent weakness as Nappa had said, and it was true, the base form of the female Gemini had less tenacity than her blonde haired self.

Kannon formed her fingers into a pinching motion, and went to pinch her arm, giving in to her weakness, but something about the way Propel, though brainwashed, was so bravely standing her ground made her slightly hesitate. Blinking up, Kannon wondered how _she_ could be useful. As Vulcane had always said, Kannon did not make herself useful. Not until Nappa's return, did she ever find herself having a drive to do anything out of the ordinary. Propel was his always useful, ever dutiful subject, and as Kannon blinked, she began to understand what she had been underestimating about herself all along. She was a trained weapon. She looked down at her armour, and patted it, searching for a gun, a knife, something, but all she had was her cannon blaster, and as of late, it had proved only reliable sometimes. With Propel's speed, she would easily dodge it.

Kannon sighed out in exasperation, her bloody palms on her face, she fell to her knees, trapped in the brambles and unable to find the untapped power she held within.

_If only I were blonde again...I should just pinch myself and get it over with! _She thought to herself, then heard an odd, husky chuckle.

_Don't be an idiot... My power's exhausted from fightin' earlier... It's your turn now, go get em'! _The blonde Kannon said from within, making the bluenette perk up.

She moved her hands away from her face, the streaks of blood quickly turning golden and absorbing into herself. There was a low crackling sound around her that she couldn't place, as Kannon took a deep inhale of breath, and honed in on her opponent. While she was deep in introspection, the battle had gone on without her intervention, Nappa was attacking Propel with well-timed ki blasts, as she dodged and evaded each attack, some bouncing off the molten hot child ready to explode, and sending heat radiating through her small body.

"Propel! Look at me!" Kannon shouted, standing stiffly, her fists to the sides as her curly hair slowly began to rise with an odd puff of green mist, that she glanced at quickly, wondering if she was about to blast off like her cult sister. She gulped, it made her anxious. Or would...she _explode?_

Her ruby eyes grew wide as the green mist began to thicken, and billow out around her, her feet feeling hot in her boots as her temperature began to rise. Kannon felt a feverish heat beading on her brow, as the vines around her began to curl, and heat up with her intense rage.

Propel turned to eye her, thrusting her arms out to push the child towards Nappa, her eyes glowing white from the heat inside her. Her cult sister's face was pale, devoid of expression as she was ready to detonate along with her own child. Nappa saw this, and took his chance, grabbing Implode from Propel's arms in one swift motion, and the angered woman in turn, blasting towards her with the intensity of jet propulsion.

This happened so imperceptibly fast, that Nappa could not possibly avoid it when Kannon made an ear piercing screech so deafening that it made Propel stutter in mid air, as if she had suddenly run out of fuel. Nappa roared out in pain, pulling the white hot child into himself as he cringed, blood exploding out his ears, as Propel battled back with an equally deafening screech, and sent herself flying backwards a few feet.

Kannon panted, her shoulders shaking as she looked around herself, noticing the brush had fallen away with her scream for Propel to stop, that was so high-pitched it was imperceptible to human and Saiyan ears. Propel had screamed back at her in defiance, the force of their vocal weapons so powerful it made them clash, and forced her back. She now hovered, panting as Kannon did the same, regaining her energy.

"If you refuse to stand down, I will not hesitate to kill you!" Kannon yelled, holding out one hand, and placing it on her cannon blaster. Propel watched in confusion, as Kannon pulled back, a red handprint left on the metal as Kannon whimpered and looked at her own hands, agonizing over her own detonation.

"She'll kill you, and your child will explode in front of you," Nappa spoke up, his ears still ringing, though he held the child a few feet away from himself in a small anti-gravity barrier. Implode stirred from her metamorphosis, looking up, she crawled on her hands and knees, and saw Kannon on the ground, her temperature beginning to quickly match hers.

"Auntie Kannon..." She wailed, then began to cry, as the walls of the barrier shook with each wail; Propel was struck by the child's utterance, her expression grew pallid as she looked back at Nappa, and saw the Saiyan man was crouched over, bleeding from multiple wounds, his hand nearest to her glowing, ready to kill her with mercy in the case her child exploded and failed to kill her as quickly as it did him. Propel gulped, feeling her brainwashing wavering, Vulcane's influence fading.

"Auntie Kannon, please don't..." The child whimpered, she herself frightened of her own potential detonation. Kannon was no longer able to stop the fuse that ran from the tips of her toes, to her head, as she was entirely aglow now, and ready to face Propel if that meant that Nappa would be saved, and Implode's detonation could be delayed. Kannon felt something inside her suddenly change, the heat lifting suddenly, as her spirit transcended the flesh, a golden haired sprite of her other self suddenly burst from her chest, the other Kannon at rest, as her explosive blasted out, straight towards Propel. Kannon followed herself, taking action immediately, she thrust herself up from the ground, and caught Implode, Nappa following, circling his arms around her as she absorbed the blow of Implode's self destruction.

Kannon cackled as she was freed from the confines of her body, naked and sparkling like a fairy flame, she felt the heat inside her growing hotter as Propel frowned at her, and with a pink explosion outward, propelled herself violently towards her, and the dark sky lit up with a flash of red as the two clashed heads.

Nappa glanced up, blinded by the explosion, just as the other Kannon had quelled Implode's own detonation, she quickly made the best of her alteration magic, and turned Implode's ultimate attack into something less dangerous. A massive pillow of white steam rose up between them, and the child was rendered rescued, if not incredibly wet from her new attack; which was still effective in it's steam-powered blast, but at her young age it was nowhere near as powerful as the massive explosion that Kannon had caused. Kannon sighed as the golden being appeared, cradling Propel in her arms, slightly burnt, and crying, her hair now black after she'd transformed. The twins met, Kannon transferring into her other self, and Propel joining her and Implode in Nappa's arms.

Nappa looked down at the women and the child, and shook his head.

"You Gemini women sure are some spitfires!" He chuckled, and Kannon pinched him hard on the cheek, twisting.

"Take back whatcha said about me!" She demanded, her ruby eyes alight still with her golden ire, as Nappa squirmed and fought against her twisting hand.

"Alright, alright! You asked for it!" He growled, and reached down, pinching her on the ass. Kannon gasped, popping up and quickly transforming. She growled as she looked down at herself, noticing her perky chest had shrunk. The little girl laughed, and to their surprise, her bright red hair turned a soft shade of pastel pink, and she smiled. Propel held her tightly to her chest, her constant streams of tears making the tips of her long black hair curl upwards into bright fuchsia spikes.

"Thank you... so much for saving me once again. But what about all my other children, and Reign?" Propel said suddenly, her head lifting. Amber brown touched her pupils, and made her blue eyes stunning as she had achieved her final transformation, the two of her spirits now one. Nappa looked around himself, then began to fly easily when with both women cradled in his arms.

"Don't worry, we're headed right for em'." He said, and they left the site of the explosion, heading toward the shimmering shore over the blackened beach where the battle still lingered on.

* * *

A mass of red viscera oozed out onto the ground below Vulcane's feet, as he stepped forth, and fell to his knees, burying his hands in it, and cradling the putrid ooze. Green light glowed from within it, as he held it tenderly, and pulled back to look down at it.

"What have they done to you?" He said softly, and began gathering up the red muck in Piccolo's discarded turban. It was full nearly to the brim as he stood, and carried it carefully back to the battle scene. There was a sudden flash of light far off in the distance, and Vulcane growled. His brow had slowly began to start healing where Kannon had pulverized his evil eye, and now that he no longer had it, he wouldn't be able to re-ensnare the girl. Not that Vulcane was privy to the delicate information about Piccolo's ability for regeneration. He was a stranger in an offal body, and he only wished to have his own back once this Eclipse could at last end.

"Come on, I have a treat for you..." Vulcane whispered, and came up upon the two Saiyans pinned to the ground by the Gemini children, and smiled down at them. Bdakka turned his head, and growled, his eyes beginning to glow with an iridescent energy. Vulcane was quick with his action, though, and tossed the red substance onto Rachanā before she could even react. The Saiyan woman screamed as the substance landed on her, burning, and Bdakka suddenly regained his strength, loosening one hand, and throwing himself over his mate.

Vulcane laughed heartily, tossing his head back as the Saiyans struggled to stop the essence from burning Rachanā, Raditz looking on in disgust. The acrid burning scent caused a foul odor to carry on the air, causing Launch to stir. She sat up, blinking, and opened her mouth to speak. She was quickly silenced, as Zenaya clamped her hand over her mouth. The older female Saiyan hissed in her ear for her to be quiet, and Launch nodded, and the two hung onto one another for support, watching their respective males still struggling. Zenaya caught sight of Candor with Onioan's blade in his shoulder, and gasped. Launch looked quickly to Raditz, and he nodded.

_Go to him first. I'm in no pain, simply restrained. _Launch nodded, and the two women carefully army crawled across the ground, evading both Reign, and Vulcane's vision.

A hoarse scream was made, as Rachanā felt her essence being sucked from her, the strength nearly sucked from Bdakka, as the two Saiyans clung to one another desperately, Vulcane held one hand out, and coaxed the amigulation of the substance from the explosion in the underground cavern, and the fresh Saiyan blood, and pulled it up into a vaguely humanlike shape. Tianshae came to his side obediently, and handed him the blade. The dripping blood creature gasped for its breath, and gripped the blade of the sword, and energy suddenly rushed through it, fleshing the being out, and reviving it. Vulcane smiled with sharp ivory fangs as he pulled the pommel back to help it to stand. He then motioned with one hand to the naked man, and clothed him.

"Welcome back to the world of the living, Grenada. Do you recognize your maker?" He said commandingly, as the revived gemini at last regained his footing, and lifted one hand, looking at it curiously, and humming at the appearance of his pink, scar-tissue free skin.

"Hmhm... I have new skin, demon?" He at last spoke, meeting Piccolo's eyes with a strangely empty gaze.

"Demon? I am no Demon Slug-Jin, nor Namekian. I am your master, Vulcane." He said sternly, glaring down at his subject. Bdakka and Rachanā could only crouch on the ground, breathless, and bleeding from multiple burns as they watched in horror. Grenada turned his head and looked around himself, his dull green eyes retaining only a tiny flame of absinthe from his former life.

"Kannon... mhm...My mate, hm Kannon... she killed me... mm.. I tried to call her from the underworld, but..." He said softly, looking around for her, and not seeing her anywhere. Vulcane turned him violently around by the shoulders, and made him face him, eye-to-eye.

"Listen! You will see your Kannon! But, you are still _**my** weapon! _We have but this **o****ne** chance to take the power of the Eclipse for ourselves, and kill all these Saiyans, then we'll be unstoppable, do you understand? Failure is punishable by death!" Vulcane growled, shaking him violently. Grenada's head swiveled around on his shoulders like a bobble head, so lifelessly he may as well still be dead.

"Death is... hmhm... better than.. enslavement." He uttered, listless, but then, something caught his attention, on the very fringes of his vision. Something familiar sparked a flame of recognition in him, and he made a weak cough of laughter, with only a hint of the demented air it had held before, as he saw his old opponent, and rasped.

"..Vegeta, we... meet again."

Vegeta chuckled back at him, lowering down with Bulma on his hip. She quickly kissed him, and ran towards the small armoured vehicle that had been following them, quickly jumping into it. Vegeta looked back to make sure she was safe, smirking, and turned back to stare down at them. Vulcane blinked, noticing the regal air this simian carried with him that was like no other. He cringed back slightly as Vegeta approached, wearing a tight dark blue bodysuit, with luminous white, and gold plated armour cradling his musculature protectively, lacking the unwieldy shoulder pads and leg protection, but instead, a stunning red cape flashed out behind him, and made a crack on the air as he lowered.

"It is fortuitous to remake your acquaintance, seeing as my breastplate is flame retardant, and your pesky weapons will have no effect on my anti-metal component enhanced armour. Care to take a stab?" Vegeta chuckled confidently, strolling closer to the ancient Gemini wearing the shell of a Namekian, and instantly sensing that he was possessed. He turned his face away quickly, disinterested by Vulcane, and instead, glaring at Grenada, and grinning smugly. Raditz watched him from afar, knowing by the confident strut that Vegeta carried himself with, that he had fully commenced the mating ceremony, and had now fully matured into his third ester of life. Raditz took a small intake of breath, slightly in awe of Vegeta's regal presence.

He watched, astounded, as Vegeta turned to the Gemini woman named Tianshae, and soundly slapped her, the sound carrying on the air, as she made a pained cry, and fell to the ground. With that, the kazanshi sticks were powerless, and fell from Raditz's back, useless. He snapped out of his paralyzed state, and shook himself free excitedly, releasing all the tension deep in his bones. The first thing he honed in immediately on, was Launch, and her and Zenaya's advance towards Reign. He caught their attention, and they both stood; Zenaya squinting at him curiously as if she suddenly recognized him, but couldn't place where from.

"Guess what, snake boy, you're reign is now over!" Raditz smirked, and came up behind Reign quickly, the women watching curiously, as he grabbed the blonde man behind the neck before he could react, and pulled him roughly, throwing him meters away into the sand, where he landed harshly. The snake-like tendrils were snapped with his separation, and Candor and Onioan could at last move freely, but still stood stiffly, making no sudden motions for fear blood would spray from the deadly shoulder wound made with Onioan's blade, which was so wide that it resembled a guillotine. Launch and Zenaya ran up and Raditz followed, helping Onioan to pull the blade away carefully, as Launch healed it effectively. Candor fell back onto the ground in relief, and Zenaya attacked him with a hearty hug, holding him tightly around the waist as she cried her apologies.

"Don't cry over me, Zenaya. I'm just fine now." He said softly, and patted her on the back, before he returned her embrace, and for the moment, everything was amended. Raditz and Launch turned back to see Nappa and Kannon approaching in the distance, Propel in his arms as they landed beside Reign, who was still regaining his wits, looking up at Implode's appearance curiously.

"Propel? What happened?" He questioned weakly, as she and their children surrounded him, the children no longer under Vulcane's spell either. With the loss of his eye, it had been weakened slowly until broken.

"Isn't everything just mending up nicely," Vulcane hissed, narrowing his eyes on the figures. "Start making your goodbyes, because the way I see it, everything is aligning just perfectly for **me."** He growled, and shoved Grenada towards Vegeta, who took the challenge with no hesitation.

"I have no complaints, either. " Vegeta said, and made a beckoning motion with his hand, coaxing Grenada forth. He noticed the deadened expression the Gemini had, and felt slightly disappointed; but perhaps he could stoke some fire back into him.

Bulma clutched the steering wheel of her armoured vehicle, fully equipped with weapons ready to blast, reinforced to avoid self-destruction. She took a deep breath, and it took everything she had to not want to slam on the gas, and flatten all these annoying Gemini's, but she had confidence in Vegeta, and if need be, she would step in. But for now, she was happy with the fact that her anxiety was quelled by being a witness, as she turned her head, and smiled at Miyuki, who laughed gently.

"Thanks for coming along, you know, I never would have expected you to show up today, I hope you don't mind being here. I promise we'll get you a nice dress afterwards!" She said cheerfully, and Miyuki sighed shakily, "Gosh, I'm just thankful Yamcha isn't participating, I'd hate to think what could happen..."

She said anxiously, and Bulma patted her on the back, smiling. Mentally, as much as she still held a grudge against him, she was glad too.

"Don't worry! Yamcha never comes to these kinds of things, anyways." She said, biting her cheek slightly.

"No...? He seems to like fighting. Hmm, well I'll take your word for it, Bulma. Maybe once all this is over, your boyfriend and him could have a little training match!" She suggested happily, and Bulma laughed, patting Miyuki's back again. "Uh, sure! Vegeta would _love_ that." She said, shaking her head slightly. Miyuki narrowed her eyes, wondering what Bulma could possibly mean, but decided to change the subject instead.

"Well, good thing you have me here. I've been an E.R nurse for quite some time, and it's quite the _stimulating_ occupation. When you said that you were heading off to a battle, I just couldn't resist!" She chirped happily, her tail bristling. Bulma looked at her oddly, but could only smile. "Yeah. It's exciting... but dangerous, so we can only jump in if _absolutely_ necissary." She said lowly, and Miyuki nodded back, understanding. They watched the ensuing battle for a moment, Bulma's hands clenching on the wheel, as Miyuki's claws extended in reaction.

"...So, these are what the other nurses are calling our super-human monkey men patients. Goodness, and you say you're in love with him?"

"Haha, Definitely. That's my Prince Charming." Bulma sighed, and Miyuki smiled back at her, clasping her hand.

"I am so glad you were able to find a man like him. I'm still wondering... If Yamcha could be that man for me." She said softly, and Bulma looked at her, watching the fire in Miyuki's blue eyes, and wondering if the neko-mimi could potentially be a fierce fighter enough to match Yamcha's Wolf-Fang-Fist.

"I think you should give him a chance!" Bulma finally relented, and Miyuki grinned back at her, "I think so too."

* * *

Yamcha turned in the tall full length mirror, giving himself a doubtful expression, as the man with measuring tape still took measurements of his leg. Something had been bothering him, but he couldn't quite place what it was. A small tingling kept tickling at the back of his head, buzzing away and interrupting his thoughts, so much he could barely concentrate.

He gave himself one last look in the tuxedo, and decided that this one would have to do. He was no longer as concerned about his appearance as before, he looked good enough, and the tuxedo was in his price range.

"Listen, I think this one looks nice. If you could get it packaged right away, I'll pay for it all now in cash." He told the tailor, and he nodded, "Yes sir. I'll just make some minor adjustments to the length of the pantleg, then-"

"No time! I said this is good enough, ok? Please. It'll be fine if it's a bit long." Yamcha said impatiently, and began stripping off his blazer hastily.

"Alright, that can be arranged." The tailor replied, taking the blazer.

Master Roshi looked to him seriously, and Yamcha exchanged a glance back. Something big was happening, and they both had a bad feeling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Well, that was unexpected, wasn't it? I have slaved over this chapter day and night trying to get it out quickly for you guys, it was a bit delayed, but I made it!I really hope you're enjoying it so far. If you haven't reviewed yet, please don't hesitate! You could simply comment that you liked it, and I would be so happy! Just a few chapters til the end!Also, I apologize if you looked for my Twitter and didnt find it, the correct address is RoyalBlue_Roses! I just posted a new drawing of Onioan. Please feel free to add me there! RoyalBlueRoses


	35. Black Sands Of Sacrifice

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so, so sorry for the wait between chapters! I had so many ideas I wanted to do, and putting this chapter together was like a big, confusing puzzle for awhile there. I have finally been able to make sense of it, and now present you with my newest addition! I hope you all enjoy it.  
Update: There is new character art of Grenada being made as we speak (Nov. 2nd) Check my Twitter or Deviant Art for updates. I am now also making an author Tumblr as well where art and samples of unreleased chapters may be posted. ( dark . indigo.  
roses)
> 
> Also, did you see my new work, Lunch For Three? If you love Raditz/Launch romance, come check it out. Vegeta/Bulma, Chi-Chi/Goku, Krillin/18 and even Bardock and Gine will all star in it! This story is based in the modern era, and is a Roomates/Strippers AU. It will become more M rated as time goes on.
> 
> Warning! : Highly graphic bloody content here, and depictions of murder.

"Are you not the same man I fought before?" Vegeta questioned, crossing his arms as he eyed the dull green eyed man across from him, where the resurrected Gemini known as Grenada stood, yet not _quite_ as animated as he was before.

Grenada lifted his head of agent orange spiky locks, which jutted out wildly all over the place, save for his brow, where a third eye stared out lifelessly.

"I am he. The same that fought Vegeta.. hmhm." Grenada grunted, and formed his hands into fists.

"You ran and hid from me, then barricaded yourselves in an invisible sanctuary. I was angry, because I had just achieved the false form for the first time," Vegeta said evenly, with a tone that was almost gentle; minus the bite of his jaw snapping with his desire to fight.

"Then, I am to assume you died, and now you've returned to fight once again. You are nothing but a pawn, a weapon, just as your master has said. What purpose do you have besides to fight?" Vegeta spat.

"Yes. Hm... You are correct in many ways. Mhm. Although, _my_ Master is not so unkind to me. Hmhm...He may have burnt me, but the flame..mm..it **never** failed me." Grenada grinned back at Vegeta, flexing one hand, from which green flames blazed from his fingertips. He hissed, feeling the pain of his new skin burning as his energy rushed out around him.

"So very loyal you must be, then. But still, such a fool, for if I had such ability, I would _never_ allow anyone to reign over me!"

Vegeta shouted, and did the same, pulsing out an an invisible aura streaked with gold flecks of light, bright against the dying eclipse, which was now reminiscent of a bloody black hole in the sky, as Mars and Neptune seemed to have absorbed the sun, and now were attempting to pull them into the sinking void.

Surrounding them, were the remaining Saiyans, that stood off to one side, staring down the possessed Namekian that was Vulcane. Raditz stood on high alert; watching Vulcane for any movement. Nappa protected over Launch, who tended to the wounded, which were many.

"Please, Bdakka, you must stay still for her to help you" Rachanā said softly, as she sat beside him. Currently, Launch was healing the burn scars on Bdakka, who was beginning to struggle under her touch. He snarled, his pupils shrinking to pinpricks as she placed her hand on his sternum, and a golden glow radiated over him.

"Let me go! I have to fight!" He snapped, then the golden sparkle faded, and he sat up, patting his chest experimentally.

"How do you feel?" Launch questioned softly, and the dark, dwarfish saiyan, stout and burly tossed his head of dreaded locks back and laughed heartily.

"I feel twice as powerful! I thank you, Gemini Saiyan." He said, lowered his brow to clutch her hands, and shake them gratefully. Launch gasped, feeling the power he was showing her.

"See? Big difference. See what the General says about my class, now." He said with a mischievous grunt, standing up quickly. Rachanā followed, stumbling a bit weakly.

"What do you mean to do, Bdakka?" She said with a soft whimper, as she leaned against Launch. The Saiyan placed one large hand over her breastplate, and knocked on it twice.

"You know what our people are meant to do, I must fight. We were both burned by the pyromaniac Gemini, and he had the foolish audacity to steal away the purity of my sweet Rachanā, my life mate. He will not go unpunished for his action." He said, caressing the skin of her bronzed shoulders, then kissing her quickly, and taking flight, his stump of a tail bristling from the base of his spine. Rachanā took Launch's hand, smiling weakly.

"Would you be well enough to take me with him...? Once he's gone far enough. He would want me there...we Saiyan women keep their eyes open for our beloved one. She watches him fight until the end. Then she may make her cries." Rachanā said, clutching her hand tightly to express her urgency. Launch's mouth moved soundlessly, and she looked up to Raditz. His face was grim, no longer did he make sadistic jokes, nor tease at the being who looked like the green man.

"I shall take her. Candor, take over for the moment." Zenaya said sharply, and offered her hand to Rachanā. She took her hand, and hefted her weak body over her shoulder. Launch gasped as Candor stepped beside her; almost frightened of the brooding, stern faced male. Then, he nodded down at her.

'I shall protect the offspring of Bardock's son." He said sternly, and Launch understood, her puffed up tail lowering. "Thank you." She responded, and felt Nappa's presence beside her as well, as she watched Raditz facing off with Vulcane.

"..So, you have escaped the paralysis of the Kazanshi sticks. Thanks to your Prince, you're free. As I see it, the time of the Saiyans is ending, and the Era of the Geminis is nigh." Vulcane hissed, pulling back a green lip to bare his pale purple gums.

"But that's one thing you will not have the pleasure of knowing, once my weapon disposes of him, I shall sic Grenada on you, too." He rumbled, then quickly lit up his hands, prepared to blast Raditz where he stands. Raditz glanced to Vegeta, and the two met eyes a moment, and the Prince nodded, then both shot out at different angles; widening the battlefield.

Vulcane hovered, Raditz giving chase, as he looked back and observed the evil malignancy within Piccolo bringing forth a great amount of his power, forming an orb of light in his hands. Raditz's eyes widened, and he whipped around, watching as Vulcane continued to make the orb expand, swirling with flames. He then had a bright idea, and grinned. Then, began to move in a familiar way, two fingers going to his forehead, as he held the other arm out straight; his fingers spread outward as a small bead of energy began to grow there.

_I shall do what I must, even if that means I have to do what you would have done in my place._

_"Raditz!" _A familiar voice suddenly shot out, and Raditz's attention was stolen; eyes widening.

"Don't use the Special Beam Sunday on him!" Piccolo shouted out of the mouth that was working against him; one hand holding his jaw closed, as the other was held over his head, balancing the growing supernova he was about to throw at the small group of Saiyans. Raditz frowned, and knew that he couldn't be swayed by Piccolo's words at that moment, not at the risk of his people being slain. Raditz charged up the blast just as Piccolo had taught him, the Namekian's words of encouragement resonating in his mind.

Raditz recalled the power once again; his entire body swirling with ruby and blue energy. Raditz widened his stance, and growled lowly as the heat of his centermost ki was evoked, and began to ooze through his veins, his black bracer cracking as the energy flooded out like a dam bursting from his center, through his bicep and down his forearm, the vascular muscle bulging outward like the swollen banks of a river until gathering in his hand, making an bright point of ruby light in his splayed open palm.

Raditz let loose the Special Beam Sunday Cannon, which came out in a blindingly red and gold corkscrew of white hot ki, whirling around itself in two tempestuous, twisting fissures. Vulcane turned towards his victims, and lifted up the massive supernova; making Launch clutch tight onto Kannon as their faces lit up orange from the fire, and they cried out in terror. Nappa stepped in front of them, holding onto Onioan's massive blade that was being used as a barricade.

"Come on, everyone! Give it everything you got!" Nappa said, nodding to Launch and Kannon to put their hands there as well.

All the Saiyans placed their hands on it, and made a wall of their shared ki. As the blast was let free, it exploded outwards with a thunderous peal, and the supernova was split. Half hit the barricade, and sent the Saiyans digging their heels into the soil for many feet backward as the heat blasted them all, as the other half struck the bluff side, blasting a large dent in it. Then, a whirring, spinning energy made itself evident, along with a pained scream.

Raditz finished pulsing out the beam, feeling satisfied as he saw that the Saiyans were all safe, and he had not shot Piccolo through the heart like he had done to him. In fact, Vulcane's screaming was due to the fact that his stolen arm was cut off at the forearm, and purple blood was spurting from it, as well as a large gash in his abdomen, where it had carved a clean hole out of his stomach.

"_You poor, cretin **bastard**!"_ Raditz shouted as he crossed his arms, and tossed his head back, laughing enthusiastically. His tail was wagging maliciously as Vulcane made his long, agonizing moans of despair; all along not knowing that the body he was in was in fact capable of regeneration.

"You'll _regret_ that!" Vulcane rasped, and used his one arm to gesture up to the heavens once again, Raditz looking on with a smug grin.

"Just **KILL** HIM!" Nappa roared from below, but Raditz didn't glance back. Instead, he made a beckoning motion to Vulcane with one hand, as two shadows darted past.

...

Vegeta cackled, feeling just as invigorated as the Gemini gave chase, the wind at Grenada's back as he blasted backwards from Vegeta, his orange spikes ruffling over three deadened eyes, from which Vegeta could see none of the light of enthusiasm for fighting which he had recognized, and revelled in challenging before.

"Gemini, where is your fire? Isn't that why your creator named you after a deadly projectile, give me some of that fire from before! Come on, just **try** and mark me!" Vegeta shouted, smiling as he sneered at him, his tail flying out from his back curling almost playfully, as he began to charge up his hands, making small, yet powerful purple energy orbs in his hands, and whipping them at Grenada. The Gemini swiftly dodged them, with a speed that was unworldly; malignant energy swirling around his form as he lifted one hand, and began to make a fist.

Vegeta watched eagerly, his own fists clenched outwards with balls of energy readied to throw, as Grenada allowed his phosphorus fire to burn through his new flesh, his eyes unblinking as his new skin sizzled and melted away with the bleeding of flames from his veins.

"Grenada. Hmh. **That's** who I am." He murmured, looking down at his own disembodied hand, and turning it as he watched the fat melting from the palm of it. His old body was more accustomed to the flame; this one was new and needed to be broken in. But, he supposed it would do, he didn't intend to stay on the living plane for long. Then, he felt something hot whizzing past him, and glanced over, as Vegeta charged his energy into one hand, then punched him heavily in the gut with the opposite hand, carrying his body up on his fist. Vegeta sent Grenada flying, and pointed two fingers at him, sending a quick beam towards him, which when struck; Grenada screamed, and light exploded outwards from him, sending him hurtling back down to the ground, screaming out in pain.

Grenada regained his wits and blinked blankly; looking up and wondering in his deadened brain what the purpose of this pyrotechnic show _was_. He was for a moment, dazzled by the bright lights as they whistled, then rapidly began arching down towards him, blasting sand and ocean up into the air. The Gemini glanced around at the light show that Vegeta had made, the lights reflecting off the Saiyan Prince's eyes as they narrowed; observing his prey caught in the trap with an inquisitive gaze.

The Dirty Fireworks flew just inches past Grenada's inert body, and Vegeta understood at last, frowning deeply.

"Grenada, come now, you didn't seem so suicidal in the past!" He called out, capturing his attention by tossing a ki blast at him. The Gemini at last dodged again, and Vegeta felt some relief that maybe his opponent was still capable of fighting.

"You're no fun, if you just play fish in a barrel with me I'll just end up killing you mercilessly, and not feel any _satisfaction!"_ Vegeta spat angrily, tossing shots at him rapidly, watching as the Gemini lifted his hands at last, and batted at them, volleying some back, which Vegeta countered happily. He blew the shots back, sending Grenada flying back a few feet, his arms crossed over his head as steam curled off his bloody arms.

_Satisfaction_.

Somehow, that word sparked a tiny flame in Grenada, and he tossed the energy volleys away from himself, then a green aura blew out from around him. He formed two black grenades in his hands, others forming one by one in his aura that swirled around him like a flame cloak; his eyes shimmering with life at last, as he recalled his last living desire. That was right, he wanted revenge on the big, bald headed Saiyan, not this one, even though this one was quite the annoyance; he hadn't done anything but beat him in battle, which Grenada could respect. The only other thing which should have bothered him, was that he was a saiyan; but Grenada no longer saw species, or race, in hell _nobody_ had skin, all they were was writhing, bloody bodies making suffering wails of torment; once the flesh was ripped from a man, whether he was a Gemini, or a Saiyan was indistinguishable to him.

Grenada flung the grenades at Vegeta, as he simply blasted through them, laughing as he saw that his opponent was finally reinvigorated by his words. The two flew into the void that was the sky, the Gemini lit up from behind with red light, as they spun into the bloody hole where there once had been a sun, now only the black planets eclipsing it, allowing barely any light to pass through. Vegeta spun around, keeping an eye on his opponent as Grenada pulled back, reforming his artillery.

Vegeta did the same, charging up his hands blue, he began rapidly blasting off ki orbs, Grenada watching, stunned by the lights surrounding him; yet not one of them had _hit_ him. What _was_ this?

"Hmm? Why don't you try to hit me?" He asked, his artillery fading from his hands, as Vegeta continued filling the sky with golden blasts, until satisfied; he panted, and observed Grenada looking around himself curiously.

"If you _wanted_ to hit me, you'd do better than surround me in a mine field. Hmhm. I just won't move, and then-," He began, but was silenced.

Vegeta bellowed, "**Die**! Kamikaze Grenade!" And fired a final shot into the sky, and sent all the orbs at him, Grenada screaming as he was pelted by red beams, surrounded by smoke. He coughed, then regained his senses, and shot out of the smoke, covered in round welts from head to toe as he aimed to charge at Vegeta.

Vegeta was much too quick though, as he used his head as a battering ram; blasting the other man in the stomach. Grenada coughed hoarsely, and belched up a lump of black and red fluid out into his hands, Vegeta flinching back quickly at the regurgitation of the Gemini's effluence. Grenada spat, and the liquid burned off with his anger, then he charged for Vegeta, viciously punching and kicking with his flaming limbs, not stopping even as they bruised, and crunched against the opposing flesh he was hitting. Vegeta continued backpedaling, taking the two of them away from the battlefield, far away from the others, including the small armoured car Bulma was sitting in.

"Give me all you've got, come on! I can handle it, but it doesn't look like _you_ can!" He shouted nastily, grinning back at the enraged Gemini, who was using the lesser martial arts he had been taught, but Vegeta knew of no such thing, only kicking, punching, dodging, then grabbing his opponent's punching hands, and holding him tight by the wrists.

"Should I restrain you like your Master? Is that what he did with you-" Vegeta spat, ignoring the legs kicking at him, instead, twisting his own around Grenada's in a restraining lock that was inescapable.

He grunted when he was bit on the ear, blood dripping from Grenada's lips, and down his neck as the Gemini growled like a mad animal, ready to devour him. Vegeta stayed perfectly still, then waited until Grenada pulled back to tear his ear off to bash heads with him. Grenada screamed, their heads colliding, making the third eye between them squelch as Vegeta pulled back, not a scratch on his face.

"You're good and vicious, but you have no _direction_. All you are is an angry madman, and without that eye, you're **nothing**." Vegeta snapped, then quickly threw Grenada away from him, a thin, red beam shooting from his finger, and accurately piercing it.

"Bang." Vegeta whispered, and the eye was penetrated, and popped out with the heat of the beam cooking it from within, then Vegeta pulverised it with another small pulse of his energy. Grenada cringed in mid air, and froze up with his pain, before quickly dropping from the sky like dead weight. Vegeta watched as he fell, crossing his arms as he simply waited; wondering what effect losing the evil eye would have on the Gemini?

_I cannot sit here and play with my prey any longer, not with her.. **waiting** for me._

Vegeta realized, his eyes rounding as he spun around to see where Bulma was, and confirming that she seemed safe. That was further confirmed, when the horn of the vehicle honked and made a trumpeting melody; Vegeta's cheeks burning with his frustration as he turned back to look down at the bloody speck on the ground.

_He will die with no respect, not a warrior's death. Just a pawn, a weapon, no purpose. Only **pain**._

He felt an energy coming up next to him, and eyed Bdakka from his peripheral. He could feel the sheer heat, and rage radiating off the other Saiyan, and he glanced at him in acknowledgement.

"My Prince," The third class began, his brow, and stump of a tail lowered in shame. Vegeta snapped his head towards him, growling out with annoyance.

"What do _you_ want? Can't you see I'm **busy**?" He questioned, gesturing down to the ground where Grenada lay.

"I want revenge for how he defiled my mate. I **must** fight the Gemini." Bdakka said sternly, and Vegeta sniffed sharply at him, then turned away and tilted his head to follow him.

"Stay the fuck out of my blast path if you want to live."

"Thank you." Bdakka said with reverence, tapping his fist on his breastplate.

Vegeta's face became stony with his resolve, and he slowly lowered down vertically, cracking his neck as he did, a torrent of energy coming out around him.

Bdakka paused in mid-air, marvelling at the power emanating from the Super-Elite royal. Then, he blinked; shaking the awestruck feeling away, and quickly followed after him.

* * *

Raditz saw that Vegeta had knocked down his opponent from a distance, and grinned as he watched Vulcane slowly pulling power from what seemed to be the air, scabbing over his wounds. Raditz looked down at the wounds and snorted.

"It seems your Celestials aren't _quite_ as generous as they were before. Ready to fight?" He spat, uncrossing his arms, and levitating closer to his opponent. Vulcane stared back from Piccolo's green countenance, and they met eyes, the crimson pools staring back at him, soulless flames.

"Make your move, Saiyan." The Gemini whispered, and Raditz blasted forth in a second, his black mane a flame behind him as he began to beat at the one-armed Namekian mercilessly; the dull thuds on his weakening body resonating with sickening smacks, that seemed to enrage Vulcane with each hit he was too slow to dodge.

"Enough, **pest**!" He roared, and Raditz was flung back into the other Saiyans as Vulcane roared with his annoyance at the pest who had been knocking him around. A bright yellow flame burst around him for a moment, before dissipating. Vulcane panted, he was growing tired from the back and forth, and he had simply pulled more energy from the Celestials once again, and used it to throw off Raditz. He was tiring, and fast, he realized, but _why?_

Launch turned her head from where it was resting against Nappa's chest, his hands on the small of her back, and Kannon's as he protected them from the battle going on before them. Nappa growled, he was tired of watching Raditz and Vegeta playing with their enemies, he needed this Eclipse to **end** already, _damnit!_

"Kannon, Launch you can either stay back, or come with me. I know now that's your choice, but you girls might get in my way if you interfere. You should know not to get in a Saiyan's blast path. I'm tired of watching this shit, it's time for that bastard to _die!" _He growled, and they moved back from him, looking out towards the battle, then nodding, noticing Launch's dark indigo hair was violet underneath the bloody cast of the sky, just as her mother's was at that moment.

"Ok, go help Raditz!" Kannon said, encouraging, and kissed his cheek, Launch doing the same.

"Go **get** em'!" She agreed, and Nappa took flight, the two women clasping hands. Launch watched with curious dark eyes, glancing over to Zenaya, who had returned momentarily, and was now looking up at Candor as he rubbed his shoulder where a massive pink scar was healing.

"You **aren't** going! You're **staying**!" She snapped, but Candor wouldn't have it. He stepped forth towards the battle, their tails briefly intertwining, before he silently left her. The Saiyan Elite sighed, crossing her arms as she wagged her tail, eyeing the battle around her and wishing she could join, but she had tasked herself with protecting Launch. She was precious to Nappa, and she carried a half-saiyan baby, so she saw no other way.

"Fight for them, for our people, Raditz, fight for your friend.. for our _future!"_ Launch cheered, and the two girls jumped and clapped enthusiastically; earning them an incredulous look from Zenaya; who placed her hands on her hips and scoffed. She kept snarling, and lashing her tail around, before screaming,

**"Break his bones and drink his BLOOD!" **She snarled in a vicious roar, before wiping the spit off her chin delicately, then joining the other girls in catcalling and clapping. Onioan saw this too, and swung his sword around.

"Go Candy, General is the greatest!" He added, and the others laughed. It was a small comfort when they were in the situation they were faced with.

Raditz regained his footing, and saw that Nappa and Candor were standing beside him. Nappa grinned, and punched one hand into his palm.

"Let's give him the blastin' of a lifetime. Remember how the Saiyan Armada used to get things _really_ burnin?" He grinned, and Candor nodded, Raditz raising one brow questioningly.

"Do you have enough energy, Nappa?" He said, looking over his guardian's battered body, and looking dubious. Candor too, had just recovered from being badly injured.

"We're Saiyans, did you **forget** that, or are you going to be a good _trooper_ and power up?" Candor gravelled, his fist clenched at Raditz.

"I **know** that. Thank you for always living up to your name, Lieutenant **Candor**." He snarled bitterly, still growing at being reminded of his level, when he _himself_ had once shared the _same_ title under Frieza's regime. Nappa laughed, patting Raditz hard on the back; making him wince slightly from where the Kanzashi sticks had been.

"I'm strong enough, the question is, if this doesn't kill im', what the hell **will**?" The General said with some amount of disbelief.

* * *

Vegeta raced down to the ground, in competition with Bdakka, to see who could reach the Gemini first. It seemed Grenada had been ready for them, because when they flew down, the first thing they had noticed was that he was bathed in phosphorus green flames once again, his grenades at the ready. Vegeta and Bdakka braced themselves, and flew directly towards him as he began to fling his explosives at them. The saiyans flew straight through a blazing hot sea of bright blasts, the heat of each individual explosion hitting them, the ones they couldn't dodge slightly slowing them, knocking them off course, but Vegeta only grit his teeth through the pain, propelling himself on the hot wind even quicker.

He pierced through the heat, a streak of white energy parting the emerald sea. Vegeta kept going at a suicidal speed, going straight for Grenada in his destructive desire to kill him. At his side, Bdakka did his best to keep up, but had to burst out the side of the fire to collect himself. He panted, glancing back with surprise at Vegeta, wondering how even The Prince of All Saiyans could _survive_ such inhospitable conditions.

He landed, then was surprised to see Rachanā resting, where she had been set down carefully on the ground by Zenaya. He ran to Rachanā, kneeling down beside her, then assisting her to sit up.

"You're suffering, my sweet." He said in a reverent whisper, carefully taking her burned hands. She smiled, clasping his back.

"I shall be alright...I came back to see you." She whispered breathlessly, her eyes falling shut, he reached out and shook her gently by the shoulder.

"Rachanā?" He questioned until she woke again, then watched as her eyes slowly opened again, and she caressed his hand over her shoulder.

"Tell me Bdakka...what do you think my sister found out there...in space?" She rasped, and he paused a moment.

"Tyurni, she was... is very resourceful. I'm sure that she is living happily on a planet, far, far away from here." He said softly, and stroked her raven locks back from her pinkened cheek where it looked raw, and was glistening with blood.

"Thank you..." She sighed, and Bdakka's jaw quivered, as he moved forth to give her a long, tender kiss.

"It's time for you to go now, I will be waiting for you." She said softly, yet sternly, and Bdakka nodded, kissing Rachanā's hand once more, then taking flight towards the ensuing battle.

Vegeta narrowed his eyes, ignoring the searing pain burning away at him, his heat resistant armour wasn't even shriveled in the slightest, and he didn't seem at all concerned about it as he burst through the explosions at last, and plowed Grenada over into the sand.

"Let's make this quick, freak. I want to make a... deal." He said with an annoyed huff; Grenada pushed himself up with one arm, looking at Vegeta with a puzzled expression. Bdakka landed, and glanced at Vegeta as well, equally as puzzled as the Prince crossed his arms, and looked irritated.

"We're going to team up on you, and put you back in hell where you're _supposed_ to be. While you're at it, do whatever it is you did before to make me ascend for _real_ this time, and **don't** go easy on me." Vegeta said, pointing at his own chest; as if implying that he wanted Grenada to burn him like he had before.

"_Ascend? _Is that **possible**?" Bdakka asked, blinking at Vegeta in amazement.

"It's possible, I'm **sure** of it, and I know that I can achieve more than just the false form, this time I intend to become a Super Saiyan!" Vegeta snarled, lashing out at Grenada. The injured man on the ground cackled, and sat up slightly from the ground.

"Mhm. Sure, I could try and _fry_ it out of you...Hmm, but I have a _better_ idea. I want to tell you a secret, Vegeta. Hmhm. Just between, one psychopath to hm. Another." He sneered, and Vegeta spat on the ground towards him.

"I'm not psychotic, not any more than deemed _necessary_." He said sourly, and Grenada tossed his head back and laughed. Vegeta smirked back at him, feeling himself slightly amused by the Gemini's humor. Bdakka growled, wishing to surge forth, and slash his gullet open with a knife, stopping him from making that irritating sound always made, his guttural throat sounds permeating every sentence.

"Hmh. Tell you what, you may fight me, mm, team up on me and give me the eternal rest that I've been.. mhm. Missing. You do this, and I promise to you, that I will tell you the answer to slaying Vulcane once and for all. Hm. Perhaps that would be.. enough." He whispered hollowly, then rose up on a green flame, gesturing towards the woman, that Tianshae that Vegeta had sensed some odd dissonance in. She was right there, hiding behind a large rock plateau with the sword. Vegeta's eyes widened, _Why is **she** there?! **When** did she get there? _He thought, then realized that the reason he hadn't noticed was because the woman's aura was weakened to barely nothing.

_She's waiting for the right moment to come and stab me, so she can steal away my blood, and with it, my **power** for her Master! _He thought, reasonably paranoid.

Vegeta's abdomen clenched with the memory of the stab wound, as he placed one hand there as he stared at the sword; feeling apprehensive of the long, silvery thin blade, presently in it's decorative sheath, with the small, red, one star crystal ball on the pommel.

"_A **Dragon** ball!" _Bdakka gasped, and Vegeta turned to stare at him, baffled.

"What?!" He snapped, and followed his finger back towards the sword. Vegeta eyed the thing; feeling suddenly enraged by the pretty little gem, _What the is that, and **why** is it significant? Why the fuck haven't **I** been informed of this?!_

"The Dragon Balls grant wishes, Your Majesty. With them, the dead can be brought back to life! Anything you could dream of, could happen." Bdakka said in earnest, and Vegeta's eyes widened.

_"Anything?" _He questioned, his mind rolling with all the possibilities.

"Hmhm. He's right, though it's not the _ball_ on the sword that's going to kill him, mm...lest you _remove_ it. Vulcane would kill me for telling you this.. mm." Grenada chuckled bitterly, raking his bloody hands through his hair a moment.

"So, You are no longer bent under your Master's will, then?" Vegeta interrupted him.

Grenada gripped his own hair at the roots, snarling back at him.

"I am **no longer **under _his_ enslavement! I worship only The Flame! He wants to take Kannon away from me-He," Grenada began, choking on his words. Vegeta took a long calming sigh as he grew agitated waiting to hear the rest about how to use the sword against Vulcane. Bdakka stepped slightly forward, growling lowly at the infuriating little man. Grenada sensed the Saiyan's shared annoyance, and began to explain himself further.

'The Dragon Ball's mm... Mystical power prevents the user from... hmm-" Grenada said thoughtfully, but was suddenly silenced as Bdakka charged at him. Vegeta glanced back just a second too late, and growled out in rage; suddenly he felt a primal feeling of possessiveness coming over him. Grenada was speaking _to **him**, _revealing the most important secrets of the dragon balls, and how to achieve the Gemini's demise, and Bdakka had interrupted him at the _worst moment!_

Bdakka took his opportunity, and struck Grenada straight in the jaw, knocking him back a few feet. He then took advantage, and grabbed his victim's ankle, and tossed him. Bdakka powered up his hands, charging them with an emerald green energy, and blasting at Grenada rapidly, the blasts coming out making his body stutter in mid-air as he tried to resist the blasts pelting him, and right himself.

Vegeta watched with grit teeth, and found himself secretly counting on the Gemini to get himself out of his temporary paralysis, watching, and silently urging Grenada to fight through it.

_Get **up**. Yes. You aren't going to be bested by that third class, even if he **is** a Saiyan, this is a battle for your place in the after life. **Earn** it_. Vegeta silently thought, not caring if the Gemini could sense his brain waves.

Grenada struggled a moment, then spun himself around; just like Vegeta knew he'd be able to. Bdakka balked at this, backing away for a moment, as Grenada grinned at him. Laughing maniacally, he put two hands together, and formed a massive, smoky, black grenade between them.

Bdakka hunched his body over, an aura wavering up from inside of him as he grew enraged by the Gemini's resilience, and prepared to fire back at him. Vegeta crossed his arms, still infuriated that Bdakka had interrupted his conversation; but he would perhaps let the third class have this little victory, then that was **it**.

The two gathered their energy into their respective attacks, and launched both at once. Vegeta knew it would be fruitless, Bdakka was a lower-class, he couldn't _possibly_ survive that damned grenade attack. Yet, as the explosions went off, he was rendered stunned. Both were knocked back for just a moment, before in an instant, they flew back at one another, in a flurry of fists and kicks.

What was he _doing_, standing there, utterly _useless_, when he should be giving the Gemini a proper burial into the sand, for all he had done to him, he both loathes and has to thank him, for revealing the fate of his planet...Which, he now would have been the rightful **king** of... If Frieza had not _slain_ his people, _shamed_ his blood...

Vegeta growled and clenched his fists, a golden heat rising up from within, then making a halo around him, as veins bulged from his neck and arms. His muscles grew large, his body, full of energy. Vegeta looked down at himself, and grinned. A red wave of flame-like energy pulsed out from around him, making his black hair tinged red, and his gaze, pupiless white. He had once again achieved the false form, this time; he had practically _called_ upon it. He was that much closer to the Legendary form.

_"I'll kill you, **and** him!" _He seethed wrathfully, and surged towards the two battling opponents, barrelling forward on a giant blast of murderous energy; he rocketed forward on the white slash through the sky, and kicked Bdakka dead on, directly in the stomach with both boots, pushing him violently back from Grenada.

The two parted, and looked at him incredulously; both cringing in pain. Bdakka clutched at his stomach where his armour was broken; stunned at the intensity of Vegeta's power, and his intimidating appearance. That hit was so sudden, it had knocked all the wind out of him.

"He's yours, your Majesty," He shuddered, and backed away as he needed a moment to regain his breath. Vegeta nodded curtly at him, no aggression remained in his gaze.

Bdakka saluted him, and Vegeta bowed his head. He would take that. He looked through the smoke, towards the ground, and flew urgently back to Rachanā; feeling he had redeemed his mate's honor at last. Vegeta may have ended up getting the finishing blast, but he would be fine with it. The King always got the kill shot. That was what Saiyan tradition demanded.

Vegeta watched through his extraordinary sight as Bdakka flew down, and returned to his mate. He waited until they were out of sight to turn and face Grenada, but the Gemini had darted away while he had his head turned. Vegeta sensed him from just the smallest sound of a muffled breath, and flew towards it. He found Grenada, and was almost pleased to see that he had in turn, found the Gemini woman. He restrained her with both hands, one cupped over her mouth and nose, the other under her chin.

Tianshae and Grenada struggled for just a second, then to Vegeta's surprise, his teeth were on the woman's throat, and he bit in, deeply. For a moment, he questioned whether the Gemini was marking her as mate, that was, until he began inhaling her sparkling, golden blood rapidly, a golden glow coming from the woman's dying amber eyes.

Vegeta gulped; watching the display with a mild sense of horror, and fascination as she slowly became smaller as she withered, her liveliness fading away; as the vital essence of her was being suctioned away by Grenada's lips. The blade dropped from her grip, landing in the sand with a clatter.

Grenada dropped her, breathing in, he picked up the sword, and turned to beckon Vegeta closer. He hesitated a moment, glancing back at Bulma. He shook his head, No. This fight needed to **end**, regardless of any minuscule feelings he had regarding the Gemini's place in the afterlife. For all they knew, there was nothing but endless darkness on the other side. Vegeta surged forth, and knocked the sword quickly out of his hand before he could give himself the power required to become just as invulnerable as Vulcane. Not a chance.

"Hm? You- The Prince of All **Filth**!" Grenada retorted, and that phrase right there, made Vegeta's resolve utterly snap. Grenada was at his full health now, minus one extra eye. He could go fly with the unicorns and butterflies in the blasted sky for all Vegeta cared, because he would **not** allow him to insult his race.

Vegeta grimaced, and looked to his hand. A lavender flame surrounded it, filled with white heat. Grenada grit his teeth and stared at the duplication of his own attack with rage, the _Cosmic flame Cannon!_ Vegeta gripped the grenade-like ball of energy, and pelted Grenada hard in the chest with it. The Cosmic Cannon exploded upon impact, sending the Gemini staggering back.

"You...how **dare**.." Grenada hissed, then his eyes widened, and Vegeta was coming right at him. Vegeta plowed Grenada in the face with a closed fist, both of them thrown violently to the ground by the powerful punch. Vegeta buried him into the sand, his fist creating a crater, and destroying his brow ridge, he felt the squelching of his eye under his knuckles, and dug it in deeper until his victim screamed, and they made deep divots in the sand with the force of his fist.

Grenada came to a stop at last, hitting his head on a large obsidian rock. He attempted to grasp for it, and just managed to bludgeon Vegeta on the temple, the glass shattering and leaving shards of glass sticking out around the Saiyan's eyebrow. Vegeta growled, taking a fistful of glass, he smashed it into Grenada's eye socket, and punched the shards further in.

The Gemini made a pained gasp, and struggled beneath him, turning his head away in fear. Vegeta clamped down on his ear with his teeth, and tore it free by the cartilage like a savage, just as Grenada had intended to do to him. The Gemini no longer had any semblance of a fighting chance. He was pinned down, and was being ripped apart, **alive**.

He struggled, managing to free his arms, he grabbed for Vegeta's face; his thumbs digging down in order to dislodge his eyes. Vegeta growled, and savagely bit onto his pinky finger, making Grenada loosen his grip on his face. The Saiyan prince was wild with his bloodlust, and thirst for vengeance, and without thinking he snapped Grenada's finger off with a click of his sharp teeth. Vegeta ground the crunchy flesh of it between his jaws, then swallowed it. Grenada screamed bloody murder. Vegeta had elicited _just_ the response he had wanted.

"There, you _wanted_ to see me act like a psychopath. I've eaten fools like you for **breakfast**." Vegeta snarled, and ensnared him by the throat in one powerful hand, his Adam's apple bobbing painfully against his fingers as he violently shook him, his head bobbing, the sound of his skull cracking audibly with each smack into the obsidian beneath him.

"Do you want to know what **Hell is? **Don't you _get_ it? I've _seen_ Hell on Earth. But,** I'm** not the one who's going to die today. Say goodbye." He ground out, and Grenada pleaded with his eyes; begging him to quicken his death sentence. Grenada looked up, and stared into the Eclipse; to his home planet, Mars. Tears were running down from the corners of his eyes, as he made his one final request.

"Please... kill me. Send me h-home."

It only took a slight tightening of his grip, and his fingers pierced into his neck. Vegeta felt around with his middle fingers for his jugular, and ripped it out, turning Grenada's torn neck to the side. Blood arched out from the gash, and fell around him in gallons. Though he was caught up in the splash of it, Vegeta didn't even flinch. He had long ago grown used to it.

Vegeta blinked the red streams trickling down his brow, and into his eyes away; his tongue licking up the saline flavor collecting in the corners of his grimace. Grenada gurgled, choking on his own blood for a few long, agonizing moments as Vegeta watched; giving him nothing but a blind; heartless gaze.

Grenada exhaled long, and deeply with a haunting rattle, and his head lolled back, motionless. Vegeta tossed Grenada's lifeless form away from him, and to the wind, where he crumpled, and once he hit the ground, splashed into a red puddle of effluence. He was never truly himself, he had been just a whisper of what he had once been. Now, he was nothing but blood seeping into the sand.

Vegeta strolled forth, and picked up the sword. Sliding it slightly from its sheath, he eyed it's radiance, then slid it under his tail, which was wrapped snugly around his waist. Resting one hand on the red ball bejeweling the pommel; he reflected that he had been no better than that savage, in that moment, he had lost it once again.

_How could Bulma even look at me now, with blood coating these killing hands?_

* * *

"You do realize what will happen if we use the Blutzkreig Zap." Raditz said solemnly; crossing his arms and glaring at them all with warning. He didn't like it; using the attack that Bardock had helped to create. Nappa and Candor looked back at him, their tails slightly wagging.

"C'mon, what's so wrong with honoring your Pops?" Nappa said, jabbing him in the ribs. Raditz grunted stubbornly.

"Bardock was Second in Command to Paragus. He led our armies to victory... He was fit to be renamed Elite Class. King Vegeta would have allowed it, had he _known_.." Candor trailed off, and stared at Raditz with a saddened gaze, making him feel conflicted, he looked down, and his eyes landed on Launch lovingly. She waved up at him, and he smiled; sensing her, and a fraction of the hybrid's ki inside of her. It was strong. His father's legacy would live on, his underling blood; that untapped strength was there, rushing through his unborn child.

"If not in memory of Bardock, then do it for us. For the last of the Saiyan race to _live on!_" Nappa urged, and Raditz thought back to all the lives that would have been required to form that river of saiyan blood in the tunnel, and how it had... **fed** Vulcane. Raditz recalled the disgusting scene, and grimaced.

"Oh, fine. Let's go fire it up, then." Raditz snapped back, and the two Saiyans laced their burly arms to Candor's, their ankles hooking all together. The Low Class and Elite, all locked together in sync.

"Ready." They announced, and Vulcane weakly laughed as he saw them all lock together, clutching at his stomach with his one good arm.

"Would you _look_ at that? They link all together just like Barrel of Monkeys!" He cackled enthusiastically, his white fangs bared as the Saiyans remained silent. Vulcane halted his laughter, and lowered his head, smirking. A bright ring of sparks began to grow at the center of the three, held by the Elite in the middle, as the other two looked forward, their irises paling to a foreboding sanguine; making the Namekian float backwards suddenly.

The ring continued to grow in size, the energy coming from the three radiating outward in waves; large bolts of electricity dancing in the air, steam sizzling off the heat of the Blutzkreig. Then, the Saiyan at the center bellowed, his ring expanding rapidly with their combined energy pulsing through it. Then, in an instant, the three of them made a massive shockwave pulse through the surrounding air, the Saiyans on the ground watching, feeling quakes rolling through the earth, as bits of obsidian began to circle around the great ring of ki.

"How _stupid_ can you monkeys **be**? Making a giant circle, how do you propose you could _possibly_ hit me?" Vulcane sneered, darting off to the side in a flash to show them just how quickly he could move.

None of the three spoke; all locked in their battle pose. Vulcane froze up, staring into their eyes which had become white, as the energy ring pulsed out more blutz waves, something seemed off to him, and his eyes widened, turning back to stare at the planets. _That Namekian! What's she **doing**!? _No **wonder** he was losing energy, she had been channeling her energies out to the **Saiyans**, not him!

_"You betraying **bitch**!" _He screeched, then his voice lost it's strength as his back was scalded by an intense rush of heat. Vulcane screamed hoarsely as the Saiyans let out their combined energy, all screaming as they funneled their energy into the massive blast he was being carried on by his back, Piccolo's purple gi burning away as he was caught up in the brunt of the attack, surrounded by flashes of white and black. The endless night was lit up bright, the blood red sky suddenly bright and rosy with swirling white ropes of electricity.

Launch stared up at Raditz in amazement, the other women watching with their jaws dropping. A transformation was happening before their very eyes, as the Saiyans they knew and loved grew larger, muscles more massive, their eyes, and faces had changed, large fangs growing out, as well as the hair on their bodies, growing more bristling and thick. They were somewhere between Ōozaru, and as human as a Saiyan could be considered. Each Saiyan's strength was increased twenty fold; perhaps even more so, but the Ōozaru form remained locked within; along with the disastrous consequences. It was not Super Saiyan, it was what could have very well been the evolution towards it. They called it Saiyä-Zarou, and it was something only rarely used by those who could control their Ōozaru tempers.

"Just a little more! We gotta fry him out!" Nappa bellowed, his fangs gnashing as he clipped out his command to the others, none seeming to have noticed their transformations. Launch's eyes grew listless as she stumbled back, limp, and Kannon caught her.

"Launch, honey?! What's wrong!?" She shouted, but Launch was now staring out at the pulsing waves with fascination, both hands on her stomach. As Kannon turned to look at what was happening, her eyes widened. From nothing, golden particles came together to form another large, long haired Saiyan. He floated up, and placed himself right above the blast path, then aimed down, and added to the beam. Nappa gasped as he looked up, and saw the familiar Saiyan.

_"Saavoy!"_ He breathed out in admiration, watching the broad back of the Saiyan as he too pulsed all his power into the attack. Raditz looked back as well, the whites of his eyes fading to crimson. For a second, he had almost hoped... _Wished_ that it was his father, Bardock. His spiky brows furrowed, puzzled, and he sensed some familiar energy in the new Saiyan, but before he could fully examine him, their attention was on the resulting propulsion of the Blutzkreig beam.

_I **don't** miss him_. Raditz thought absently, and felt a rush of that disembodied apathy wash over him that he had once grown to live in.

_This is how he **died**. He was burned **alive**._ He thought, blinking his still crimson eyes at the morbid imagery that was so easily made in his head, as Vulcane succumbed to that very same fate.

Vulcane screamed as the body he was in was caught up in a massive flame, blackening him from the outside in as he screamed in terror. Then, he dropped to the ground, lifeless, but the blast only continued on its path, rising up into the sky with a deafening roar, then blinding all of them as there was a resounding impact. They looked up at the Eclipse, and saw that Neptune had been struck, and fault lines were cracking all over the planet; bursts of energy crackling beneath the gas giant's surface. There was another rumble, this one so close, it shook the very ground they were standing on, as all took heed of the dying planet.

There was a high pitched sound, then flashes of white and blue light washing over the beach, before the blast reached the core of the planet, and detonated in an immense explosion. Planet Neptune was destroyed, and the resonating boom sent all of them stumbling back, ducking for cover as massive chunks of molten earth were thrown violently outward.

All covered their heads on the ground, or ducked behind something solid as the blasts continued, large molten chunks of rock hurtling from the sky, and landing heavily in the sand. Miyuki and Bulma screamed in terror, until Bulma regained some of her senses, and frantically slapped the button to raise the protective shields. Once shielded, she was able to squint up at the sky and see what had actually happened as a result of the blast.

"It looks like.. there's been a _change_ in the Eclipse," She whispered, and looked to Miyuki beside her. The other girl squinted her eyes nearly shut at the sliver of golden light that was nearly blinding her.

"Its.. _sunlight_," Miyuki whispered back, then the two girls giggled, turning back to smile up at the sight of the sun, their eyes leaking out tears from the brightness, even if it was just a crescent sliver of it.

Then, they were both stunned as there was another startling sight, a large mass of light was crashing through the atmosphere, followed by a black smoke cloud as one of the giant chunks of Neptune's surface fell from space, and rocketed towards their vehicle.

Vegeta turned from the battlefield he had shared with Grenada, his eyes wide as he saw the asteroid. He stared at the flames around it, and his lip pulled back, the blutz waves having an effect on him as well.

_"Bulma!"_

His eyes flashed red, and his canines elongated as he screamed, and felt his body undergoing the change to Saiyå-Zarou. His body mass bulked up to twice the size, then was covered partially in brown fur as the pupils of his eyes became blindingly white. He lowered his head, and raised one hand, forming a blue ball of energy in it. Light radiated out from around him as he charged the attack, and his eyes widened as the meteor was arching down towards Bulma.

Bulma reached for the lever of her laser cannon attached to the top of the armoured car, and grinned.

"Don't worry, Miyuki! I've got us covered!"

She pulled the lever, and the countdown began as it charged up, backwards from ten. Her and Miyuki began to chant the numbers for moral support, watching the asteroid, and hoping that the laser would destroy it. Another pair was coming up, just below the ridge, Yamcha and Master Roshi had just arrived, and upon seeing the asteroid heading straight for Bulma, both Yamcha, and Master Roshi gasped in horror.

_"Oh_ _no_, that's gotta be one of Bulma's cars!" Yamcha said, his eyes wide with confusion.

"What about Miyuki? Is she in the car _with her?!" _Puar gasped, just as worried for both women.

"Ill save them **both!" **Yamcha said with determination, and placed both hands together in a claw, aiming towards the asteroid. He had come with concern for Miyuki nagging at his mind, but hadn't even _realized_ Bulma was right there in the car with her! It didn't matter, he would save both of them, regardless of their history!

"Come on, my boy! Let's give er' everything she's got!" Roshi grunted, and Yamcha nodded as they both began to power up, Master Roshi's shirt tearing in places, until falling off as his muscle mass was greatly expanded. The two took their stances, and began to chant, preparing to release two Kamehameha Waves.

_"Ka...me...ha...me...HAA!" _The two shouted in unison, and within a matter of seconds, there was a starburst of brightly colored beams of light; red, and blue, all shooting upwards at the asteroid.

The beams struck, and it was pushed back, before being hit hard by Vegeta's quick ki attack. He smirked as he clenched his fist, then pulverized it into dust with his Big Bang Attack. Great clouds billowed out from where the asteroid was, and Bulma made a huge sigh of relief, Miyuki as well as tiny pieces of rock bounced off the armoured rooftop.

"That was a _close_ one, thank _goodness_ Yamucha saved us!" Miyuki said happily, looking out the back window. Bulma didn't hear her as she stared out at the horizon, and saw Vegeta's impressive figure hovering there, watching over her. Her heart filled with warmth, knowing that Vegeta had also protected her. He stepped forth, and she gasped at his appearance. He was bathed in golden light, his eyes returning to black at last, and his coat of lustrous fur receded; knowing now that she was safe.

"Vegeta.." She sighed, her hand over her chest, aching with the swelling feelings of love, and her great relief.

_"Yamucha!"_ Miyuki yelled, and swung open the car door, jumping out, and running over to him, the bell on her collar jangling loudly. Yamcha seemed stunned a moment, then chuckled as she ran up, and jumped at him. He caught her, the two of them spinning for a moment, her pink dress making a bell shape before settling, as she kissed him fervently all over his face. Yamcha blushed and squeezed one eye shut as she showed her gratitude, and Puar jumped into the embrace as well, being squeezed between the both of them.

"We were so worried about you, Miss Miyuki! Yamcha could tell something was wrong, and we came right away to make sure you were ok!" Puar said, with a hint of worry in his voice, and Yamcha frowned, pushing Puar and Miyuki away slightly; feeling overwhelmed with all the affection he was receiving, did he _even_ _**deserve** it?_

"I'm ok, thanks to you two, and Vegeta." She reassured, and Yamcha furrowed his brow, looking out over the sand dunes, towards where there was a figure, and it was growing larger as it approached, and landed before him. Vegeta arrived, his armour ripped and burnt in places, and coated in dried blood. He still wore Vulcane's sword on his hip, wrapped safely by his brown tail. Yamcha gulped nervously as he observed the battle bloodied Saiyan with some apprehension.

"Vegeta, _you_ **_helped_** blow up the asteroid?" Yamcha said, somewhat wary, and puzzled if it had actually been _his_ blast that had rpulverized the asteroid into dust. Their Kamehameha Waves had been enough to steer it away, pushing it backwards, along with the laser beam, but that massive Big Bang Attack from the Saiyan was what **truly** did it.

Vegeta smiled, simply closing his eyes tiredly as Bulma was quick to retort back.

"Why would you even ASK him that? Of _course_ he did!" Bulma said, having stepped out of the car, her hands on her hips angrily, shocked at Yamcha's obliviousness.

"Why does this come as a _surprise?_ Do you really think I would let my mate **cook**, in a metal _death_ trap?" Vegeta snapped, and Yamcha looked down at the ground shamefully, and shook his head, finding it hard to meet the Saiyan's eyes. Maybe he was **wrong** about Vegeta? He glanced back at him, then Bulma as she ran towards him and they embraced. Yamcha stared from beneath his bangs, and felt the guilt of his past weighing upon him tenfold.

"No. I'm...grateful to him. Because if he _hadn't_ helped, there's no telling whether or not Miyuki would have been ok, either." He said, and Bulma took a sharp intake of breath as Vegeta held her, and snorted at the scar-faced weakling with an air of disinterest. Bulma was still watching as he turned his face away from her, and locked eyes with Miyuki. She held Puar to her chest, and smiled warmly at him.

"Thank you, Yamucha, and Master Roshi. I owe my life to you all." She said, and Master Roshi shook his head, walking up and resting on his cane.

"Don't mention it, darling. I put my all into that beam, _did you **know**_ that was _my_ technique that started the whole darned thing? It was about oh, 15, years ago by now, there was a unquenchable blaze on Fire Mountain, that even the mystical Bansho Fan couldn't put out..." He began, and Miyuki and Puar listened to him with interest, as he began telling a tale that everyone had heard a thousand times, but nobody seemed to mind.

Bulma turned back to Vegeta, gently touching his bloody, burnt face with her fingertips, feeling where his ear was mangled as she cradled his head, and he moved closer to kiss her, pulling his arms around her tightly and crushing her to him gratefully; thankful that she, and he had survived. Yamcha watched from the corner of his eye, and couldn't help but smile slightly as he clutched Miyuki's hand.

* * *

The smoke had long since cleared, as the remaining saiyans, and humans walked towards the battlefield where Vulcane had met his demise at last. Raditz fell to his knees, cradling Piccolo's feverish, pallid face in his hands, and to everyone's amazement, his shoulders began to shake with his grief. Launch came up beside him, placing one hand there, her blonde hair covered in a fine layer of dust.

"Can you heal him? Just Piccolo?" He rasped, and her brows furrowed upwards sadly as she shook her head.

"No, I've exhausted all my energy. I'm so sorry, Raditz."

Raditz recalled the last time her life energy had been exhausted, and nodded firmly. He was not going to allow that to happen.

"Nevermind, then." He said to her, and Launch pouted, feeling bad she couldn't help him.

"Wait." A voice came from behind, and Raditz turned to see Vegeta approaching, pulling the sword out from his waist. He aimed it down at Piccolo's inert, burnt form, and placed the tip of the blade over the Namekian's breast.

"Vegeta, _don't! _He'll jump into you, next!" Raditz warned, but Vegeta shook his head.

"No, he won't." He said, and quickly unscrewed the ball from it's setting on the pommel. He held it in his hand for just a moment, examining it, then handed it back to Bulma for safe keeping. She cradled the small ball in her hands, gazing at the gem in amazement.

"Wow... it's a tiny... red dragon ball.." She whispered, and Vegeta nodded to her.

"You'll keep it safe." He said softly, and turned back to Piccolo's body.

"She's the only one that can hold it, **got** that?" Vegeta stated, to no-one in particular; but the ones he intended to direct it to nodded, Nappa placing one hand on Bdakka's shoulder, and silently commanding him not not to refuse his Prince's demands. The Saiyan relented, and simply looked on, as Rachanā lay nearly motionless in his arms. He gazed down at her, and forced back a cry.

"Can you use it to bring my Rachanā back to life, Princess?" He choked out, and Bulma's eyes widened towards him; amazed by the title, yet understanding why the Saiyans revered her as such. She felt a pang of hurt in her chest; here she was, Princess of All Saiyans, and yet she could not soothe her people's grief.

"Can you do it, Princess?" Zenaya repeated, placing one hand on Rachanā's, Onioan and Candor coming up behind her as well.

"Chanā can't go yet, not yet?" Onioan said, and Bulma felt her heart falling to pieces.

"I can't make a wish, not _right_ now.. not unless we had **all** of them. I'm not even sure... what _planet_ this is from." She said hoarsely, and squeezed the ball tightly as she watched the sad scene before her.

Zenaya frowned, looking back at Candor, and he nodded in agreement with Bulma. "No, Candy..? You mean...? General?"

Onioan looked to Nappa for confirmation, and the general shook his head, No.

"We'd have.. to _find_. But she can't.. _last."_ Nappa said softly to Onioan, and the giant executioner burst into tears. Bdakka refused to look at any of them as his own tears fell onto Rachanā.

"I should have taken her to space, she would have at _least_ been with her sister... There's really, **nothing** that can be done... Not for **us**." Bdakka grunted, and pulled his mate closer, his large arms trembling.

"I am.. so sorry." Bulma said, and Bdakka looked at her with cold, hateful black eyes, that sent a chill through her body. Seeing no reason to stay, Bdakka grimaced, and turned away, leaving the others to grieve in solitude.

"Let him go, he's better off leaving than staying, he's lucky I didn't just _kill_ him for what he did." Vegeta growled, he had listened to Grenada's words, and thought about them carefully before coming to a conclusion. He was almost one hundred percent sure of what he was doing, as he slowly slipped the blade into Piccolo's flesh, directly above his heart. It became glowing, and everyone stepped back besides Vegeta, apprehensive.

But then, the sword pulled out a black malignancy from him, and it sunk into the blade, turning the silver tarnished, and chipped like black paint. Piccolo gasped for his breath, and began coughing, Raditz and Launch rushing towards him.

"Piccolo, you're _alright!" _Raditz said, taking the Namekian in his arms, and attempting to help him sit up. Piccolo's dark purple tinged eyelids fell, and he breathed raspily, gripping whatever he could to stay uptight, gasping for each reedy, weak breath.

"Can you regenerate?.. _Piccolo? **Piccolo**?!"_ He asked tensely, and Launch came close to try and assist them, placing both hands on Piccolo's arm to try and heal him. Piccolo jolted to life for just a second, and they all gasped, seeing Launch weaken, and fall against Raditz.

_"**No**, Launch!" _Raditz gasped, and grabbed her wrist. She blinked tiredly, and he shook his head sternly.

"He wouldn't want you to lose your life to save him. I...couldn't _lose_ you." Raditz said, and glanced down at her stomach. Summoning Saavoy had taken all her energy, helped by the fuel of the blutz waves, but now she was exhausted. Launch nodded, and hugged both him, and Piccolo.

Vegeta watched the scene, and one eye twitched spasmodically at how ridiculous Raditz was acting, over _a damned Namekian!?_

"...**Tch! ****All Seven** Saiyan Gods should be rolling in their Eternal Rest! Don't look so **damned** defeated, _Raditz!_ Your green friend there will have a peaceful end, _free_ of parasites." Vegeta said, almost reassuring him with his familiar sneering. Raditz looked up hopefully, wiping the tears from his eyes. Then, Vegeta examined at the blade in the light, seeing the darkness in it that made it so heavy, and broke it across his knee, and to many of their surprise, it fell into dust. Vulcane was truly, and most definitely dead at that moment, his spirit had been siphoned out, and destroyed completely.

Vegeta tossed away the remaining pommel, and dusted off his hands. As they watched, Piccolo's weakening body faded, and he dissipated into nothing. All around him, gasps were heard, but nobody would know how to explain the phenomenon but _him._

_"He was transported through time and space!" _Dr. Briefs gasped from Raditz's scouter, where he was watching on the other end, and Master Roshi nodded.

"Yep. He's been taken... Somewhere **else**." Master Roshi whispered, and Raditz turned to him; his face contorted with confusion.

"You mean he's... _dead!?" _He said with a disheartened voice, and the old man nodded.

"Well... I'd like to say he still lives, but that's just wishful thinking...I'm sorry, Raditz. All along, our greatest threat has been sleeping here, waiting. But, you Saiyans came together with us humans, and in my mind, you _saved_ him." He said wisely, and Raditz glanced back down to the ground, feeling the barren earth where Piccolo's body had once lied.

"Goodbye, Green man. See you in the next life," He said softly, and patted the spot. Launch leaned up against him, and placed her hand upon his on the ground, as they all said their silent goodbyes. Raditz and Launch then paused, as light began to illuminate their interlaced fingers.

All glanced up at the setting sun, as Mars slowly moved away from it, and light returned to the planet. Birds flew across the sun, which was now gradually moving down in the darkening sky, and they all watched in silence as it slowly set.

"It's truly ended... The Gemini's Eclipse." Vegeta said, and Bulma smiled, grasping around his arm, and holding him tightly, happy to see that at last, the sky had returned to it's beautiful midnight blue, with stars sparkling all throughout it, like flecks of shimmering heavenly light.

"Yes, now we should all go home and rest, _you_ included," She said, her poking finger stabbing him hard in his chest. Vegeta winced slightly, "_Watch_ those fingers, woman! They're like icicles!" He shouted, and soft laughter warmed the sounds of night now returning around them at last.

The waves were crashing hard on the beach, as Raditz took Launch's hand and she placed it lovingly over the scar tissue on his chest; recalling the familiar sound of gentle ocean waves, and kissing her tenderly under the faint sliver of lunar light surrounded by the dust of Neptune, which nobody had even seemed to notice, her golden tail wrapping with his dark brown one.

...

Somewhere far off, in near complete darkness, a moon was rising over Mount Paozu, and with it, an unearthly cry.


	36. A Rude Awakening

_Previously..._

Somewhere far off, in near complete darkness, a moon was rising over Mount Paozu, and with it, an unearthly cry.

**Present**.

Prior to these happenings, young Gohan had taken off desperately after his father in the darkness. Kakarot had left the two of them, feeling perhaps he didn't deserve his alternate family. He had resigned to return to his position in Frieza's army. That was, if not for the feeling that kept him from straying furthermore. There was this terrible aching in his chest that made him take pause, and fall listlessly down to his knees as he gripped the grass beneath him.

_I can't leave them. No, I want to go home_. He thought, and looked up at the sky. Home was not here, though the little house was quite quaint, and gave him a sense of familiarity; this was not his true reality. He knew, from somewhere deep within, that Chi-Chi was right. This alternate reality he had been living in, was a sham. But, it seemed he had been here all his life. Ever since he could remember, he had lived here. His early memory was of crawling from the ravine, blood seeping down from his head, and into his eyes.

Or _was_ it? It all seems like a dream. Why did he have such foggy memories of that place? Sometimes he recalls being rescued by an old man, other times, he remembers going off on his own. That kind, grandfather's face forever stuck with him as an important beacon of when his life had made this drastic change. When... He and the 'real' Goku, had separated on the physical plane, and remained spiritually held together by the thin threads of the universe.

_Does he know about me, just as I know about him?_

Kakarot thought once again, gripping the grass in his fists and tearing it out. Goku had always acted oblivious to his presence, that was until his hands were all over his precious Chi-Chi. But, it had not been the _first_ time he and his true mate had been physically united. He knew, he _swore_, that he had been with her in the real world before. Was his dream of their wedding night a _reality_, then? When the moonlight had flooded in through the windows on that fateful night, and he had torn the lace garment at the seams, before taking Chi-Chi's virginity. And, that could only mean, that he... As one with Goku's body, had **just as much** claim on Chi-Chi as he. He felt his fangs elongating angrily in his gums, pain flaring at the base of his spine as he recalled that fateful night he had spent in the arms of Chi-Chi.

_"Goku... Come closer to me. Sit on the bed." Chi-Chi whispered, and sat down daintily on the edge of the bed, and offered him her back._

_"Will you... my sweet husband, please unzip my dress for me?"_

_Goku nodded quickly, licking his lips as he felt the nerve endings in his body all buzzing with his anxiety._

_"Are you sure... that's ok?" He said, and glanced anxiously out the window._

_"I-I should close the window, isn't it a bit chilly?" He said, and walked over to the window. Goku gulped as Chi-Chi sighed, and resigned herself to go to bed, married to him spiritually, but never by the flesh._

_"Yes.. I suppose you're right, I'll just... get into my nightgown and go to bed." She said, a sad, disappointed tone in her voice._

_Goku gripped the window pane, and looked up at the sky for once, in a very long time, he dared to gaze at the moon. It was very faint, just passing behind the clouds. Then, the clouds departed, revealing to him, a full dark sky, full of sparkling stars, as well as the moon, which shone brightly from the heavens. He felt a tingle down the base of his spine, and felt that phantom twitching of his tail again. What they called, 'Ghost limb syndrome'._

_"Goku...?" Chi-Chi whispered, and he squeezed his eyes shut, and closed the window quickly, then pulled down the curtains, so that they were in near darkness, beside for a sliver of moonlight that cast across his face, and down the curves of her body. He breathed out heavily at the sight of her lying on her stomach, her hands behind her back, attempting to undo her own zipper._

_The sight of her in that position made him want to restrain her wrists, and take her as she knelt over the bed, her dress lifted up over her backside. He growled, that ghost tail making slashes in the air._

_"Goku, you don't look..." She began to say, but her throat was tightening with anxiety, as a silvery cast circled his irises, and for a second, they glowed red. He didn't look quite like himself...her husband looked so handsome in the dark...feral, even._

_"Allow me to tend to your dress.." He purred, and came up behind her, taking her wrists in one hand, and searching for the zipper with the other._

_"Where is it?" He snapped, and she turned her head back to look at him._

_"Under the lace, pull back **the lace!** You'd **better** not tear my mother's dress, Goku!" She snapped back, but he didn't listen, trailing his hand up to play with the spiral curls dangling from the nape of her neck._

_"The hair, I want it **down**." He growled, and she huffed at him, then began fiddling with the bobby pins until it cascaded down her back in ripples._

_"What is with you tonight? You'd better be more polite to your wife if you want to share the bed with me tonight!" She snapped, and Kakarot chuckled from within Goku, and dug his fingers into the back of her dress._

_"You're not mine yet. This dress, it means **nothing** to me." He hissed, then tore the back of it away in one wide section, baring her creamy skin to him. He pulled it further down as she screamed out with her surprise, and he yanked it off her legs fully._

_"GOKU! HOW **DARE** YOU! That dress meant **everything** to me!" She screamed, her voice about to break out into hysterical sobs._

_Goku and Kakarot kissed down her neck, caressing her sides to calm her as they whispered into her skin._

_"You can sew it together. It doesn't matter, because you will **never** wear it again, not as long as I'm your life mate." He said softly to reassure her, and licked her softly at the back of her spine, where a tiny brown mole marked where if she was a saiyan, a tail would have grown._

_"Yes, Goku...I love you." She said softly, sparkling tears falling from her blushed cheeks_ _. He purred into her skin, and snapped the garters from her thighs, as he knelt down in the masses of fluffy lace to worship his mate's body._

_Yes_, Kakarot growled. He knew now, for a fact, that during the time they were together that night, he had bitten into the meat of her inner thigh, and afterward she had sunk her teeth into the muscle above his clavicle.

_Chi-Chi is **mine**. Gohan is **my son**._

Kakarot stood abruptly, the grass falling from his hands as he made an unearthly scream, his eyes widening as he tossed his head back, the spines of his pronged mane, a silhouette before the full moon.

"Dad, I _found_ you!" Gohan screamed above his father's guttural cry to the sky, then stopped in his tracks.

"D... Dad?" He murmured softly, as Kakarot did not turn towards him. Gohan gasped, his eyes widening as he realized Kakarot must have... He whirled around quickly, and stared up into the sky to confirm it.

"The _moon!_ That's right, in the darkness there's still a m-moon!" Gohan said to himself frantically, then froze up. His body trembled, and he found he could not look away from the beautiful sight of the full moon shining down on him, in its full splendor.

Kakarot managed to turn around, having heard Gohan's faint scream as his body felt like it was burning, and he screamed from the intensity of it. He turned around quickly, and caught sight of Gohan, enraptured by the moon. Kakarot looked up, puzzled. The moon was so _massive_. But, he hadn't transformed into a great ape. He looked down at his own hands, and turned them to look at the backs of them. _Fur! _His hands were covered with dark brown fur, and his nails were sharp, and black!

_"Gohan, baby, Momma's coming to find you!"_ Chi-Chi yelled from somewhere in the forest, and Kakarot stiffened, disregarding his own odd transformation, and taking heed of his son's. _No_... Gohan had bulked up, his small body became covered in fur, as his eyes turned red, and teeth elongated into large fangs.

"Chi-Chi, _stay back!" _He clipped from his own fangs, then felt his face. He moved his bracer, pulling back the red sleeve to look at the glossy surface. His own eyes looked alien to him. As he gazed at his reflection, his eyes were crimson.

But now, it was too late to ponder on his change in appearance as the ground began to quake, and Gohan grew to immense size, breaking the ground beneath him with his weight. The great ape began to stomp his feet, and beat on his chest with his fists; completely untamed. Gohan had tapped into his Ōozaru form, but he had no control over it!

_"What happened!? **Where's** Gohan!?"_ Chi-Chi said with apprehension, then gasped as she ran out into the clearing, and saw that his clothes had torn off, fallen, and he was gone. Her worst nightmare had come to pass. She had been warned by Korin, that calamity would befall them if she made the wish to make Gohan human, thus defenseless, and Goku would remain trapped in the Other World. The other, more sensible option, was to revive him, and leave Gohan as a half-breed, and subject to change at the sight of the full moon as long as his tail remained attached.

However, the positive was he could come to be strong enough to protect his mother, and perhaps even the earth one day at the risk of simply missing out on some of his studying. She could overlook that reasoning, now when faced with the reality of it all.

_"..You have to choose, risk your son's life to see your husband again, or risk your son becoming a beast and destroying everything you hold dear? Either way, the outlook is grim."_

He told her he would become a beast, but, not exactly what. She'd never expected that it would be like _this_... This massive, behemoth thing, now going berserk as she stared at it in horror. Gohan shot red ki blasts from his mouth, and obliterated all the trees in his wake. Another pass of his head, and he made great holes in the mountain.

Chi-Chi's eyes widened and filled with tears as her heart raced, and she backed up a few paces. She felt someone behind her, and gasped, as cold hands clutched her arms. She turned to look, and saw that it was Darkness Chi-Chi.

"_Monsters!_ See, I **told** you! Look at him!" She pointed, and Chi-Chi looked over to Kakarot, and at last her eyes settled on his strange new features. Her body froze, and heat gathered into the base of her pelvis as she saw her mate in his Saiyå-Zarou form. He looked even more attractive with his silky coat of fur, and his blazing crimson eyes. A pressure found its way to the base of her spine, and an immense sensation of uncomfortable fullness seemed to practically pulse from within in reaction. Chi-Chi felt the back of her spine, where it had so itchy before, now shooting pains were going through it.

"What on Earth is _wrong_ with you?! Can't you see that **I** was right?" Darkness Chi-Chi snapped, and Chi-Chi's knees buckled with her pain. She was helped by a hand, shoving her down. Chi-Chi yelped as the other one ground her boot on her spine, and went to grab for the sack at her waist. Though in pain, Chi-Chi could only stare up dutifully at her mate, and child as Kakarot became distracted by her, and started coming her way, while Gohan was turning his glowing red eyes to watch them all.

"Hey, what are you doing to-" He began aggressively, but was stopped mid sentence by her scream.

"**Kakarot! **Don't **worry** about me!" She said sternly. He was about to argue, before Gohan's fist came crashing down right behind him.

"**SAVE** OUR SON!" She screamed as loud as she could, her intention serious, full emphasis on saving him, no matter what happened, Kakarot **could not **kill Gohan.

Kakarot's red eyes widened, then he nodded to her firmly, then flew off to fight off Gohan's advance. Meanwhile, Chi-Chi was fully aware of the hand going for her sack of dragon balls, and she moved her arm back to grip the other's wrist.

"You traitorous **bitch**... those are **my** dragon balls!" Chi-Chi practically growled at her with her rage, and grabbed her firmly by the wrist, and flung her over her head, and cruelly into the ground. Chi-Chi then looked out to the horizon, where Kakarot was chasing off Gohan, shooting him in the back and evading his blasts to put more distance between him and them.

She then turned attention back on Darkness Chi-Chi, who was now face down, and sobbing, and had to ignore the twinge of pain in her chest as her twin sobbed into the sod.

"I don't _care_ what you say, that's MY family! They may be beasts to _you_, but my Kakarot will _always_ protect me!" She said, her teeth snapping as she clenched her fists.

"And no matter what, I'm not going to let you take that, or my dragon balls away from me!" She cried out, and felt her pain radiating from her back again. Suddenly, Chi-Chi felt so hot, she tore her jacket off, leaving her in jeans and a tee shirt. She groaned and arched her back, her spine tingling where... Memories flashed through her mind. Goku's tongue tickling the little spot there playfully, why had he always done that when they were intimate? She thought it was just him being silly, but now; mixed with that painful sensation, she felt that small tickling flicker at the base of her spine.

Darkness Chi-Chi chuckled lowly, and she pushed herself up off the ground with both hands. Her face, and the front of her body were dark and shadowy as she hovered there. Then, she began to slowly sit up, and the dark, shadowy nature of her features gave her a sudden revelation.

_Where darkness lies, there be peering eyes. Some be a sweet caress, others be dark, leering spies. Darkness nearing, pathways meeting_... Chi-Chi thought; recalling the song her mother and father used to sing to warn her.

"Tiny ifrit, play me a riddle..."

Darkness Chi-Chi sneered, then stood, and ripped her cheongsam away from her body. Beneath her garments, she wore black, shiny armour with just a tinge of a purple hue. The armour bikini was identical to the one she wore as a child, yet now fitted her other self quite well, her womanly body, rippling with muscle in some places, as she raised her hands up from her abdomen, and placed two hands by the sides of her long, black tresses. From nothing, a red helm began to form, with a sharp, curved blade atop it as her weapon, much more deadly than the one she had used as a child.

Chi-Chi gasped as she felt her own garments changing, and looked down to see that she was wearing identical armor as well, except hers was the familiar blue and pink that she remembered. Both of the women's dragon balls rolled out from their discarded garments, and gathered in between them, in a divot in the earth. There were five of them in total. They looked up in wonder, as a voice called down from the heavens.

"_You must overcome your Darkness, Chi-Chi! Defeat her, and you shall drink of the Ultra divine water!"_

"Yes, Master Korin!" She said, nodding, and looked down at her enemy.

"Winner takes all?" The other sneered, and pulled the blade from her helm with two flattened palms.

"You can't have any of them, not my dragon balls. **Or **my family." Chi-Chi snapped at her, and the other one laughed at her, "What makes you think I want those _beasts_ to be my family?" She snapped, and flung her blade at her. Chi-Chi was quick to dodge it, jumping to the side, as the other one ran forward, and caught it in her helmet like a boomerang.

"I know what I desire, and if I were you, I would want my life, too." She said, and watched as the other furrowed her brow and grit her teeth angrily at her.

"Shut up and _fight me!" _She shouted, and Chi-Chi smiled back at her, knowing she had hit a sore spot.

"Here I come!" Chi-Chi yelled, and ran towards her, quick as lightning.

* * *

Kakarot fell back as Gohan lashed his long tail in the air, and hit him, sending him flying back for hundreds of feet, his body smashing through tree trunks as he was thrown violently. His pupils blanketed over with white as his body was struck, again and again, parts of his armour breaking off and shattering into pieces. His scouter was cracked, and fell off of his face as he continued to tumble backwards, until at last righting himself.

Kakarot panted, his head hanging, then clenched his fists to summon the power that he could feel within him. With this form, he was ten times stronger than an Oozaru, and as Saiyå-Zarou, he should be able to overcome him. Gohan turned, and sniffed the air with his massive muzzle, drool falling down from his sharp teeth in streams as he searched for the familiar scent. Kakarot slowly, silently phased behind the remaining tree trunks back to his son, determined to defeat him, and return him back to the boy he once knew.

If he didn't rescue Gohan, he would never be able to live with himself. To be crushed beneath the foot of his own child, his mate buried with him, that shame could **not** befall him. He would do what he had to, even if that meant doing the _last_ thing he wanted. Kakarot honed in close, coming at Gohan from the side, avoiding his tail, and mouth all at once.

He flew forward; and aimed for his arm. Kakarot made two twin spheres in his hands, and pulsed them outward; one severing the ligament to his shoulder, the other, hitting him hard in the fold of his furry elbow. Gohan bellowed, tossing his head back as his arm was hit, then cried even more as Kakarot took hold of it, and used all of his strength to push him with it, and sent him smashing into the side of Mount Paozu. Kakarot was amazed by his own strength as he heard the great ape's bones breaking.

"I'm sorry, son, but this is the only way!" He shouted up to him, then shot out another beam, pinning his wrist to the wall, rocks falling, and hitting off Gohan's head as he roared, and let off a red blast from his mouth. It just barely whizzed past Kakarot, his fur hot with the sensation. He touched his arm, and felt the heat of it. It should have burned off, but it seemed like this fur was flame retardant.

Gohan reached out with his other arm to punch at him, and Kakarot was quick to counter it, wrapping his body around it, and pinning that arm to the mountain as well. The great ape shook the mountain side as his other arm was restrained; his feet still free to stomp, and make craters in the earth. Kakarot was crushed up against the mountainside as he pinned his arm against it, he coughed, trapped between the wall, and his arm. Gohan screeched angrily, stomping his feet, and was able to make an unbelievable escape, flipping his body upwards, and managing to somersault up onto the top of the mountain, freeing his arms.

One hung contorted to his side as he squatted there, panting, and the other came away, freeing Kakarot from his entrapment. He pulled away from the wall, and circled around his son. He didn't want to cut off his tail if he didn't have to, if only he could hold him off from killing him until the sun rose once again. Then, Chi-Chi and Gohan would be safe.

* * *

Far beyond the fight on the mountain, the two women were locked in a stalemate.

_Ching! Ching!_

The two of their blades collided as they tossed them, and returned to their masters. Chi-Chi threw her weapon once again, and the other countered it just as quickly, and the blade sliced around the Darkness Chi-Chi, cutting her across the cheek, as her blade cut around her, and cut the opposite cheek, both boomeranging back again.

Chi-Chi wiped her cheek with her glove, and huffed, charging forward to face her in hand to hand combat. Chi-Chi jumped up in the air, and the other followed, both with their hands in an X across their sumptuous chests. Chi-Chi was the first to strike, slashing at her twin, but the same thing happened.

With each precise jab of Chi-Chi's flattened palms, her sharp nails to a point, the Darkness Chi-Chi was matching her hits, one for one. They grunted, and stabbed at another's hands in a frustrating battle, their forearms blocking the hits, each vigorous hit being absorbed by their aching forearms.

Chi-Chi grew agitated, and pushed off the other in mid air, then spun around, and struck her with a roundhouse kick. What she had expected unfortunately happened, as the other swung her opposite leg out, and their bare thighs slapped the muscle hard against each other with a crack of skin, at the same time as their boots landed on their faces. Pushed painfully back, the both were repelled back, and landed on their bottoms with pained grunts. After a moment to recover their wits, the both of them huffed, and put their hands on their hips angrily.

_" 'Stop copying me!' " _The both of them shouted in unison, then groaned with annoyance. Chi-Chi tossed her head back and made a primal roar of her annoyance, startling the Darkness Chi-Chi, whose eyes grew wide as her other version jumped to her feet quickly.

"I'M the **real** Chi-Chi!" She screamed, her power rushing out around her in intense red streaks that made the other gasp. She began to get up to counter her, before she was painfully crushed against the soil by a pink boot.

"You have _no idea_ how long it took me to master those techniques, and how much it means to me!" She screamed, and ground Darkness's face into the grass. Darkness chuckled, muffled, then lifted her legs up into a scorpion pose. Chi-Chi didn't notice, as she was grinning, grinding her boot into the other one's cheek.

She struck, bending her body inward, and ensnared herself by the neck, and in an impressive feat of flexibility, placed her in a scorpion hold, and flung Chi-Chi onto her back violently, as she used the momentum to right herself quickly. Chi-Chi screamed as she was flung violently, then felt her body hit the ground hard, taking the brunt of the hit with her chest armour. Then, the other grabbed her blue cloak, and pulled her up by it.

Chi-Chi gasped, and felt around her neck where the choker around it was tightening, and gasped for her breath. She had to think fast, or else she was going to _suffocate! _Darkness wrapped her cloak around her hand, and pulled it tight, bringing Chi-Chi's head to rest on her voluptuous bosom.

"He won't save you. Just like Daddy never saved me. He was too busy fetching our _useless_ mother's wedding dress to find me, while I crawled under the bed. So, just forget _all_ about your illusions, Chi-Chi." She whispered cruelly, and wrenched her neck to the side to stare up at the sky. Her lips moved, and she was breathless, scratching at her throat with one hand. Darkness loosened her grip just slightly, enough for her to speak as Chi-Chi gasped.

"You're wrong... Daddy **did** save me, and the dress..._You're_ the illusion here, not me.." She whispered hoarsely, blinking painfully as her entire body screamed in outrage with all the pain being inflicted. Her stomach turned, and her diaphragm convulsed as she held back her sobs due to the painful memory.

"It _wasn't_ my fault... I didn't mean it, I fell asleep while the milk was boiling...It caught on the curtain." He rasped, and the other laughed at her cruelly, stabbing her hand into her back, and jabbing her hard in the ribs, as she grinned with shiny blue lips.

"It was I who **started** the blaze." She snarled, and pulled the cloak tighter around Chi-Chi's throat.

"I was angry, it was time for that decrepit old crone, excuse for a mother to **die**." She hissed, and Chi-Chi screamed out with pain, and her hand jerked back, then lanced in between her ribs, widening the gap between them, threatening to stab at her vital organs. Blood made a slash down her pale side, and she sobbed, tears falling down her cheeks as her chest heaved, and her head rolled to the side.

Chi-Chi forced her head back, bucking, and it only served to slam their helmets together. She wriggled her legs, and Darkness kicked her behind the knees. Chi-Chi was paralyzed with her pain, as fire lit it's way up her center, burning through her core as she couldn't help but feel enraged through all the pain.

"Give up. Soon, you'll be dying, and Kakarot and the child will be **mine**." Darkness whispered, and Chi-Chi gasped.

"You _can't_ have them! You won't steal my life!" She screamed, wriggling violently, her arms going behind her to try and find something to strike, but she was restrained with one of the other's arms, the other hand pushing further into her ribs. Agony sliced deep through her, and she screamed as her face lifted up towards the moon.

_"It was supposed to be **mine**! I was thrust into this terrible dimension, to forever linger on, on a decimated planet! I **died** in that blaze! After that, I was **never** the same!"_ She screamed, and viciously speared her hand through Chi-Chi's ribs, and punctured her lung. The wind was torn from her suddenly, her vision hazy as Darkness Chi-Chi pulled her hand out, and up to her forearm was covered in her dark, shimmering, silvery crimson blood.

Chi-Chi breathed in raggedy, but it felt as if her lungs could not be filled, instead, they were pooling with blood as she watched the moon lowering in the sky. The pain in her body was now numbing, having become so intense, her endorphins were now kicking in.

"I'm **glad** we were separated... I'd never want to be like **_you_**." Chi-Chi said lastly, and slumped her head back listlessly onto Dark Chi-Chi's shoulder. The other giggled, feeling she had won, she began to release her from her tight grip, letting go of the cloak where it had made an angry red slash on her throat.

"Well, you'll be buried here, and I shall return with a new life for myself." The other giggled, brushing back her midnight back raven tresses with a bloody hand to see if Chi-Chi was still breathing. She looked, and saw that her gaze was fixed upwards, tears running from her eyes as she stared at the source. Darkness tilted her chin back, and looked up to see what it was, before suddenly feeling her throat tighten.

She clawed for her throat, and screamed as she felt something there, tightening painfully. Yet, no matter how hard she scratched and struggled, she couldn't remove the black, silky rope around her throat, that now lifted her up above Chi-Chi, as the real one turned to look up at her. "What **are** you?! Are you one of _them!?" _She screeched, then was thrown hard into a tree, it's trunk shattering, then with a groaning of the great oak above her, it fell, crushing the Darkness Chi-Chi beneath.

Chi-Chi fell to her knees, and frantically began digging through her garments for her pouch of senzu beans, hyperventilating. At last, she found it, and fumbled for the tiny green beans, before falling sideways on the ground. She crunched it between her teeth, gratefully. Her side that was pulsing out blood healed quickly, and Chi-Chi took long, heavy draughts of breath as she refilled her lungs with fresh air, and fell asleep.

* * *

_"Yippie! She did it! I **knew** my Chi-Chi was a fighter! Yeah!" _Korin enthusiastically shouted, punching and kicking the air as they saw the fight go down from The Lookout. Soft laughter was heard, as Kami and Mr. Popo were also happy she succeeded.

"I suppose I was wrong about your student, Master Korin. She is _quite_ the contender. And, even Kakarot continues to amaze me." Kami said with amusement, as he placed his hands behind his back and nodded.

"Most impressive! Not to mention, that transformation of his! Whatever is that _magnificent_ fur coat?" Mr. Popo said, smiling down admirably, as they looked down to the surface of the darkness, where Kakarot and Gohan were fighting until the break of dawn.

"Saiyå-Zarou." A voice came from behind, and they turned to listen. Calliope strolled over towards them to look down, and confirm it.

"It is a form of evolution that has existed since Permian time. Back when Namek was a fledgling planet, and Sadala was still in it's primitive beginnings. Our people were advanced beyond the technology of this time when we came to find them, and provided the ancient Saiyå with education on gardening, in order to save their planet from over-consumption. Even then, only the strongest of them could attain the form." She explained at length, and the others nodded.

"Yes, that is a curious observation. Imagine if the Namekians hadn't been so kind to help feed the Saiyans, they probably would have attempted to consume us." Kami said grimly.

"I doubt they would enjoy _our_ flesh. Our bodies are 90% water, hence the need for frequent hydration. The other percentage, is stretchy and hard to chew." She stated, and the others all nodded with interest. Calliope knew quite a lot about Namekians, and Kami found himself eager to educate himself on his own race that he knew so little of.

"It looks like Gohan is returning to his previous form with the rising of the sun. Shall we check on him?" Mr. Popo stated, and they all agreed, and headed inside the temple to the designated room reserved for the sleeping, who needed healing.

"...Calliope? I trust you to enter alone. We shouldn't wake him yet, not until you say he's ready." Kami said gently, and leaned on his cane in front of the door. She understood, thanking him in Namekian.

The door creaked open slowly, and she carefully made her way in, her bejeweled garments slightly jingling as she walked softly into the room with two large canopy beds, all brightly colored, with shades of purple, green, gold and orange to inspire happiness. "I'm coming in." She whispered to alert him, and came up to the side of the bed as the child remained still.

"Gohan...? Have you returned to this plane yet?" She said, taking his small hand. She took a senzu bean from where it had been tucked in her clothing, ready to offer it to him. She gently attempted to pass it through his lips, but the child had not yet stirred.

"..Perhaps his mission is... _incomplete_." A baritone voice resounded from the other bed, and Calliope turned to listen to it. She looked down with sorrow.

"I'm so sorry. I tried my best." Calliope whispered, and sat on the edge, placing her hand on the bed.

"You have done more than enough, no-one has _asked_ for you to come. Once I can leave this place, I'll travel to the darkness and-" Calliope shushed him, placing her hand over his.

"Piccolo. Please, don't fight against the Darkness. Now is your time to _rest_." She said gently, and he sighed heavily with his annoyance, keeping his hand still as the female insisted on holding it. A purple hue began to glow from his green complexion, and immediately she leaned forward, and felt his forehead.

"You're burning up. I'll bring you more spring water." She said, and Piccolo huffed at her, retracting his sensitive antennae into his skin as her hand hovered near them.

"Of course, I'm thirsty, what _else_ would I be?!" He retorted in annoyance, and Calliope responded with a musical giggle.

"Perhaps... My presence has influenced your fever...?" She teased, and he sat up quickly in bed, sending her scrambling backwards.

"I am **not** ill! I was infested with an _infuriating_ parasite, but by no means can I not throw you out of this bedroom **this instant!**" He growled, baring his fangs, then the door burst open, and he froze up.

"Children, my _stars!_ Did I hear you bickering once **again**?" Kami said, and was followed by Mr. Popo, who was toting a tray with a pitcher of spring water and glasses, then Korin, and his disciple Yajirobe the samurai toting a potted senzu bean plant as a gift.

"Piccolo is _awfully_ rude to me...We used all our combined power bringing him back to The Lookout, when he was seconds from death." She pouted, and looked at him with baleful golden eyes. Mr. Popo set the tray down, and readied a glass for Piccolo as he resigned himself to the bed, looking away from her, muttering angrily to himself.

"Yes, you nearly gave me a stroke, Piccolo. The Guardian Obœ was also kind enough to lend her strength to us to help transport you here quick enough to give you a senzu bean." Kami said, looking down his nose at Piccolo as he drank his water.

"And I _helped! _I brought the entire bag with me, just to be sure." Yajirobe said, then Korin bonked him over the head with his staff.

"Ya didn't hafta _eat_ half of it, you portly oaf! Although, I guess I won't have to feed you for some time!" The white cat mused, twitching his whiskers.

"I'm hungry already!"

"Guh... can you all please be quiet?" A sluggish voice responded, and they all immediately turned their heads, to see that Gohan had eaten the senzu bean, and was now awake again. Calliope and Piccolo both immediately rushed off the bed to attend to him, checking to see that his neck was no longer broken.

"Gohan! You're _alright!"_ Calliope said with relief, and brushed his hair back to kiss his forehead as his eyes blinked wearily.

_"Get the boy some water!" _Piccolo shouted, and Mr. Popo went to work quickly to get him a glass.

"Oh dear, I'll fetch him some _right_ away!"

They were able to sit Gohan up carefully, then Mr. Popo gently fed the water through his lips. Gohan drained the entire glass, then closed his eyes and seemed to fall right back asleep again. They let him rest, some of their worries now put to rest as well.

"His mother will be relieved." Calliope sighed, smiling as she played with the boy's hair, wishing she had some like it on her head.

"Yes. Once Goku's wife comes back, I need to speak with her immediately about the specific wish she intends to make on the Dragon Balls." Piccolo said, folding his arms across his chest as he thought on this.

"..Goku told me something while we were able to communicate with him in other world that is of **utmost **importance." He continued, as they all slowly filtered out of the room to give Gohan some peace and quiet to rest. Kami nodded, his staff tapping as they walked down the great staircase.

"You had better tell her _immediately_ before she makes her wish, or else I'm afraid the fate of our future, lies in the balance." Kami responded, as they came down, and stood before a massive water fountain, where a dragon statue sprayed the water up.

"Chi-Chi is an impatient woman. She won't be happy with this." Piccolo said, and Yajirobe agreed.

"_Impatient? _You mean impossible. She has just as thick a skull as Goku!" Yajirobe rudely informed them all, and Korin scowled at him.

"You _do_ _realize_ I can still send you down there at any time. There are still two more dragon balls to collect." He snapped with warning, and Yajirobe shrunk back.

"Uh-uh, she doesn't need me, she's _scary!"_ Yajirobe shook his head vehemently, and they all laughed.

"Scary as she may be, Chi-Chi is quite the dedicated wife. To go through all that, to become more powerful and save her husband and child. She certainly is worthy of drinking the Ultra Divine water, but we shall see how that all pans out, next." Kami said, and the others agreed as they looked down, and saw through the water, that in the Darkness, peace had at last returned.

* * *

He walked on heavy legs, carrying Gohan in his arms, Kakarot slowly made it back to where Chi-Chi rested from her battle. He had fought off Gohan until early light, and once the sun had risen, Gohan shrunk down from the Ōozaru form with the loss of the moon, then fell into a deep sleep. He had as well, his body returning to his base form; forcing him to rest from his many injuries. Kakarot at last saw a gleam of her pale skin, and blue armour, sparkling in the sunlight, and he ran to her, completely forgetting his pain.

"Chi-Chi! Wake up, it's all over!" He shouted happily, and she blinked, sitting up on one elbow, and rubbing her weary eyes.

"Kakarot..? Gohan?" She murmured, then when she saw that they had both returned, seemingly unscathed, she began crying tears of happiness. Kakarot laid Gohan in the grass beside them, and saw that he was mostly unharmed, besides covered in dirt, his clothes destroyed from his transformation.

"Kakarot, you're _hurt!"_ Chi-Chi gasped, and saw the blood mixing with the red of his armour, and pulled at it.

"No. really, I'm ok, Chi-" He began, but once he removed his chest plate, she was better able to see the gashes riddling his body, and quickly gave him a senzu bean.

"Here, eat this. I promise, once you take it you'll feel _much_ better." She urged, and Kakarot nodded, taking the bean. He chewed a moment as she looked over him, and watched his wounds transform, healing over.

"Amazing. I feel so much stronger!," He said, patting his rejuvenated muscles.

"Thank _goodness_ for Korin," She whispered, then came forward and fell into his arms gratefully as he held her tight, caressing the straight black strands splayed across her cloak.

"What happened? You seem... different." Kakarot stated, his nose twitching as he looked over Chi-Chi's new garments, and licked his lips, seeming pleased by this.

"The Darkness Chi-Chi wanted to steal everything from me... Unfortunately, I had to do what I must, and I threw her to her death." She said softly, and looked over to where the large tree had fallen, crushing her body.

"But, _how_ did I do that?" Chi-Chi whispered, and stood up, looking around herself, and seemingly giving chase, spinning around three times.

"Chi-Chi?" Kakarot said, confused, then his eyes widened when she caught up to what she was chasing, and made a cheer of triumph. "Gotcha!" She giggled, and grasped the strange, furry creature that had helped her at the last minute of the battle, saving her life.

"This is what did it! I have to thank this thing right here-" Chi-Chi began, then hugged it tightly to her body, and promptly fell over.

"Wha- Cheech!" Kakarot blurted out, and ran to her clumsily, jumping right over Gohan's inert form, and his discarded armour, and to his mate that was lying on the ground, blinking dazedly.

"Why do I... feel dizzy..?" She whispered, then giggled as the furry snake tickled her face. Kakarot knelt down beside her, his tail twitching at the end curiously, and pried the fur creature from her arms carefully to examine it. It had dark, glossy blackish brown fur, which was very full and healthy, as well as thick, and flexible as he tested it's movement with his hands. Chi-Chi giggled, and her cheeks flushed pink as he played with it, smirking as her legs lifted, and he was able to see where the thing had come from.

"You _know_, you really should be more careful with this type of thing..." He said slyly, and gave it a tug.

"_Owww!" _She cried, and retracted it back, holding the injured fur in her hands.

"A Saiyan's tail is **very** sensitive." He said, and brought his around to show her, Chi-Chi blinking in confusion as she sat up. "Why are you telling **me** this?" She murmured, the furry thing twitching back in response. Kakarot grinned, and looped his tail around it, caressing with a gentle touch. Chi-Chi shivered, looking down, and realized that every time his tail made a pass on the furry thing, she felt a relaxing sensation, as well.

"Well... You tell me." He said softly, and squeezed his tail tightly around the furry thing. Chi-Chi gasped, and the furry thing coiled around her waist almost of its own accord.

"What is _this_... Have I...?" She murmured, patting her waist, then feeling around her back. It was attached. The furry thing was in fact... _attached_ to her spine!

"You have." Kakarot chuckled into his hand, and Chi-Chi screamed so loud that birds flew from the trees, chirping loudly in fear, until the loud screech subsided, and Gohan opened his eyes to take in his surroundings.

"Mom! You have a tail just like me!" Gohan enthused happily, his tail wagging.

Chi-Chi gulped, her tail puffing to nearly three times the size, and promptly fell back, Kakarot catching her as she fainted again. The boy and him couldn't help but share a laugh once again at her lightheadedness.

"Does this mean my mom is a Saiyan too?" Gohan asked, scratching his head, and looked down to see he was fully naked, then covered his privates.

Kakarot smirked, "Well, Saiyan genetics certainly **do **run through her blood, son. I knew that when I set my sights on the woman, there was something _familiar_ about her..." He sighed, looking down at her, and coiling his tail around to softly caress her cheek.

"Cool...um, can I have some new clothes, Dad?" Gohan asked bashfully, and Kakarot nodded. "Yes. Let's get dressed, and on our way. There's still more dragon balls to fetch." He said, and looked down at the cache of golden spheres sparkling in the light.

"Ok. I can't _wait_ to play with mom's new tail!" He said excitedly, watching as Kakarot opened a capsule, and took out new sets of red and black Saiyan armour for them.

"Me neither, Gohan." He chuckled deviously, handing his son the armour.

"Wow! Does this mean I'm ready to fight like you?" Gohan asked as he eagerly pulled on his black underwear, then stretched the armour over his head, his hair popped out, having grown so long now, it was practically past his chest.

"Perhaps while your mother rests we can sneak in a quick sparring session." He replied, and pulled his armour over his head. "If she gets mad, she can join the battle... I just _love_ my woman's feistiness." He smirked, and Gohan grinned.

"It's just like old times, huh, Dad?" He said, and balled his hands into fists.

Kakarot nodded, making sure Chi-Chi was resting comfortably in the grass, before charging at his son.

* * *

"Make sure you... Come at me, fast..." Goku mumbled in his sleep, then his fist flew out, and punched the air, and the force of it flung him right off the couch, and onto the floor. He landed on his head, biting his tongue as did.

"_Oww!_ Master Roshi, Launch made me eat a spicy red pepper again! Launch, **stop** laughing!_ She's mean!"_ He yelled in his sleep, remembering the blonde dangling a chili pepper over his nose while he slept, that always made him wake right up when he snatched it up, and it burned his tongue, but it woke him _right up_ for training anyways, and she always had a delicious breakfast ready for him in the morning, so that made up for it.

Goku blinked once, then twice, and realized he was standing on his head, and the entire world around him was upside down. He looked around, confused by his surroundings. "Huh...? Wait, but, wasn't I _just_ fighting with Gohan..?" He murmured, then righted himself, standing up to rub the tender spot on the back of his head, where he must have bonked it again.

"Hmm. Wonder what's cooking, sure smells good." He said, and wandered off to the kitchen.

...

The scent of fresh coffee, and sizzling bacon filled the small, cozy kitchen, as Krillin and King Kai sat at the table, drinking their morning coffee, and discussing the interesting events the previous day.

"Man, I can't believe that Raditz _cried_ over Piccolo like that, King Kai. You _really_ think that he's a good guy now?" Krillin said over a cup of black coffee, and the kai across from him nodded his head.

"It's crazy. I don't believe it _myself_, I didn't know Saiyans **could** cry." He responded, dipping a powdered sugar donut into his coffee.

Chiaotzu sighed as he tied on his apron, assisting Tien in the kitchen. Tien was flipping some Other World bacon, as Chiaotzu floated up next to him, and began chopping ingredients for multiple mushroom, onion and pepper omelettes. It was their specialty, making healthy recipes unlike the ones Launch had once tried to turn his stomach inside out with.

Tien couldn't believe that his mother was dead. They had watched it all happening yesterday, when he saw that Tianshae was still faithful to her Master, and didn't care what even happened to her as long as she could please him. It was inevitable, then, that she would eventually be killed by the darkness she surrounded herself with. He stirred the ingredients into the egg mixture quickly, closing his eyes as he did.

It was unfortunate her soul could not be saved. But, Tien concluded, nothing could have been done at that point, she was too far gone. Tien poured out the omelette into the massive wok pan, and swirled it around up onto the edges.

"Hey, what's cookin'? I'm _starving!" _Goku said as he walked into the kitchen, and looked around, sniffing.

" 'Goku! You're **awake!**'" They all cried out in unison, Krillin nearly falling out of his chair

to scramble over to him, and check to be sure he was really seeing what he thought he did. He poked Goku in the leg, and he patted his shiny head.

"Hey Krillin, hi Tien! Can I have some?" Goku asked as he walked over to the table, and took a seat.

King Kai simply turned, and blinked at him, taking a cloth, and cleaning his black sunglasses.

"So, what did I miss?" He asked, and helped himself to the box of donuts. King Kai grabbed it before he could eat them all, and huffed.

"You missed _everything!_ And **don't** act like you're starving, you still raided my fridge while you were busy sleepwalking! Do you have _**any** idea _how much training you have _missed?!"_ King Kai shouted at him, and Goku's face fell, setting down his donuts.

"Why? Is everyone ok..? Did I miss fighting the saiyans? I was just spending time with Chi-Chi and Gohan." He stated, looking at them all blankly, and King Kai nearly fell out of his chair. Krillin stood up in his chair, hovering over Goku angrily.

"Goku! Don't you **get it? **You were knocked out all that time, and you gave us all quite the scare!" Krillin retorted angrily, then sat and sipped his coffee begrudgingly. Goku blinked, a bit dumbfounded, until Chiaotzu floated over, and began serving everyone breakfast. Tien came over, and rested his hand on Goku's shoulder.

"I'm really sorry, Goku. It was all my fault I hit you with the hammer." He said apologetically, and Goku furrowed his brows angrily, not even tempted by the steaming omelet placed before him.

"You didn't all have to be so **hard** on me about it. How do you think **I** feel, now I'm so far behind everyone, and I can't even help you guys when Frieza gets there." Goku said solemnly, crossing his arms, and looking oddly cantankerous.

**_"F-F-Frieza?!" _**King Kai exclaimed, his face paling to a white shade.

"Yeah. I'm sure if Vegeta and Raditz are still there, that means they must have failed their mission. Raditz was _supposed_ to recruit me, but I died fighting him. If I know Frieza, which I do, he's going to send his men to find them, and kill them as punishment." Goku nodded, Kakarot and he had formed such a close mental link, that now they could share all their knowledge at once, instead of just faint memories. Kakarot may be still in the Darkness, while Goku was awake, but in that time Goku slept, he was awake in Kakarot. Both were very closely integrated. They were, after all, two halves of the same coin.

"Hmph! We'll see about_ that!" _King Kai huffed, and began slicing into his omelette.

"I'll have NO talk about that _terrible_ tyrant at the breakfast table, Goku. I don't know what's gotten into you, but you're scaring everyone!" He whispered harshly, waving his knife at him, as they all looked down at their plates in agreement.

"Now, be quiet and eat. You'd better be ready, because your training will be extra **hard** today! They **won't** go easy on you!" King Kai snorted angrily, and forked the food into his mouth, the others quietly following suit. Goku nodded curtly, satisfied with this. He needed to train this body extra hard to catch up with everyone else. Goku looked down, and began eating, not even caring that the onions and red peppers he hated were laced all throughout the omelette. He needed sustenance, and **lots** of it.

* * *

Two helmsmen sat at the control panel of a massive ship, one human-like, the other, a tall, pockmark skinned alien, gliding through the pitch darkness of space. There was a ping on the radar, three pings, and they looked up to see what it was.

"Attack balls?" The humanoid man questioned, and the large alien clicked the buttons on the panel to zoom in.

"Looks like it. Those aren't from our men."

" What should we do, Captain Raep?" The soldier asked, and the Captain looked thoughtful as he leaned back in his seat, tenting his clawed green fingers.

"Bring them in."

"Shouldn't we ask for confirmation?" The other questioned, and Captain Raep shook his head.

"Tell the men below deck to pull them in by force. Lord Frieza would like to know about this."

"Yes, Sir. " He responded, and quickly pulled out the radio to send them a message.

"There are three unregistered space pods trapped in our gravity field. Men, pull them in by any means necessary." He said, and hung up quickly.

"This shall be interesting. I wonder if it could perhaps be those three missing Saiyans. They shouldn't have come back."

"Yes, but, where would they get those _ancient_ ships? All our space pods are the new version. Those are the ones from Planet Vegeta."

"It's most certainly curious, isn't it, Yrrehc?"

He nodded, in agreement with him.

"Lord Frieza will leave no prisoners left alive." Co-pilot Yrrehc solemnly stated, as the hatch opened in the back of the ship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Hmm. Alot to think about. I came up with this chapter in the span of two days, but the events I have planned I've been waiting to reveal for a long time. I thought maybe I could reveal what Frieza was doing earlier, but I wanted to finish up the arc with Vulcane first, seeing as so much was going on already. Did you think he would forget about his little pets? Ha! Foolish mortals.Also, apologies for those who wanted Vegebul, or Launchitz in this chapter, I promise next time you'll see plenty of them. We needed to catch up with some other important matters first. If you have any questions, feel free to ask in the reviews, or head over to my Tumblr and use the ask me feature, and I may even give you an illustration. Hopefully my inspiration will keep flowing, and we'll get to see what happens very soon!


	37. Trade Your Secrets

"So, this is what Earthlings consider a trading station." Nappa remarked flatly, his shoulders slumping as he, Raditz and Vegeta stood at the mall kiosk, carrying a multitude of shopping bags. Their eyes flickered, and tails twitched as they watched all the mall goers swarming around them.

"Something like that. If this were any other planet, I'd say it's more like a containment cell, and blast them all to hell." Vegeta grumbled, glancing around himself with disgust. Launch, Bulma and Kannon had been shopping around for some time now, out one store, and into another.

"I wonder when we'll get to go to the food court like they promised?" Raditz questioned, and Vegeta huffed.

"Probably in another 100 years of this torment. I don't know how much longer I can stand it!" He bristled, his fists tightening on the many bags of clothes and shoes acquired for Bulma and her friends.

Raditz hummed, then turned and looked at the mall directory curiously.

"Look here, Your Highness, it's a map." He motioned with one hand, and he moved to join him.

"If we blast straight down, there's the food court right below us." Nappa pointed out, and Vegeta nodded.

"Let's find the stairs. I'm not sure making a hole is a good idea, that might get dust in the food." Vegeta reasoned, and the others nodded, not wanting to chance that either.

"Good thinking, Your Majesty." Raditz said, then took a capsule out of his pants pocket and began encapsulating everything.

"Tch. Would you two stop calling me that, already?" Vegeta snapped with irritation, dropping his bags. The other saiyans looked shocked, blinking. Some people stopped and gawked as they walked by, whispering to themselves.

Vegeta steamed with agitation, then pulled Nappa and Raditz in close by their tee shirts.

"It's not Earth custom, don't you want to blend in, you idiots?!"

" 'Blend in?' Are we on a covert mission?" Nappa whispered conspicuously, and Raditz turned his head to hiss at him.

"Of  _ course _ we are! We need to sneak off to the food court and eat before the women come back!"

"He's right, so just call me Vegeta now!"

"Ok, Prince Vegeta." Both nodded, and Vegeta released them, pinching the bridge of his nose with agitation.

"Good enough. Let's get going, men."

"We'll get to eat  _ twice _ if this works out!" Nappa nudged Raditz and the two grinned, then all three flew down the stairs, over the heads of the people using them as intended.

...

Bulma tented her hands to her lips with her excitement, giggling through her smile as Launch and Kannon walked into their respective fitting rooms. She already had her own gown, so she didn't necessarily need to buy anything else, but a girl has to have the perfect heels, clutch bag and make-up for such a special occasion! Not to mention, Launch and Kannon had to look great as well, and Bulma had always been generous with her friends.

Bulma sighed and checked herself out in the fitting room mirror, adjusting her green headband, which matched her fuzzy blue sweater with a pleated green-blue plaid skirt. She already hooked up Miyuki with the hottest dress in her closet from last season, but Launch was too petite to fit in her clothes, and Kannon a bit too... athletic, or too buxom given her stage of transformation. Bulma thought it best she got something with a bit of 'give' for her special situation.

"Come on! I'm not getting any younger, guys!" Bulma blurted out a few moments later, looking on with interest as one of the doors swung open. Launch came out, and she gasped, her eyes sparking as she admired Launch in the dress she'd chosen.

"Well, what do you think? Is it pretty?" She said, then spun around to show the back, and Bulma nodded eagerly.

"It's gorgeous! I think we found a winner!" She enthused, then the two of them turned to see what Kannon was wearing. The blonde came out in a soft black sleeveless bodycon dress, with criss-crossing halter straps to flatter her toned back and shoulders, with some ruffles at the hips to give her a bit more of an oomph and girlish figure.

"So, how bad is it? I don't fill it out, do I?" Kannon pouted, crossing her arms.

"Oh, not at all, you look stunning!" Launch reassured her, and Kannon looked to Bulma for approval as well.

"Nappa will love it! Let's check out. You guys just need some cute jewelry and shoes to match now." She giggled, herding them back into the dressing rooms. Launch pouted, looking out towards the exit.

"I hope it doesn't take _too_ long, I am eating for a half-saiyan, let's not forget!" She sighed, then went in to change back into her normal clothes.

"Don't worry! We'll head out soon to meet up with the boys!" Bulma said, and felt satisfied that the both of them had picked out stellar dresses to wear for the gala. One thing weighed heavy on her mind, though, and she wasn't sure when the best time would be to approach it.

_ I have to tell the truth to Launch. But how? I don't want to ruin her entire day... _ She thought with a sad sigh, bringing her hand up to nibble on her fingernails nervously.

...

The diners in the food court paused to stop and stare at the three odd men sitting at a table overloaded with food, so much that the legs of it were bowing outward, but it seemed to be kept up by the powerful thighs beneath it. Raditz, Nappa and Vegeta feasted on fast food: pizza, burgers, fries, wings, tacos, fried chicken, milk shakes, soda; anything deemed edible by their discerning tastes, which meant pretty much anything that the food court had to offer with its multiple mini restaurants.

"Gods, the sheer excess of this planet is  _ stupendous _ ," Raditz gushed, holding a cheeseburger in one hand, a slice of pizza on the other with a glazed over look in his eyes.

"Mmm, what do you call this stuff? It's even better than that chicken Pinchie makes!" Nappa moaned with each bite off the fried chicken legs he was double fisting.

"Its even better than sex." He chucked, pounding one fist on the table. Vegeta snorted as he sucked down a large chocolate milkshake, a loaded cheese burrito in his other hand.

"You obviously haven't been laid recently, Nappa, this food is pure  **garbage** . Lard, chemicals, sweeteners, there is no nutritional value." Vegeta huffed, then sucked down the rest of the milkshake until the straw sputtered, draining it completely.

Nappa and Raditz cracked up laughing as Raditz carefully stuck his finger in Vegeta's taco when he wasn't looking. Raditz moved it back and forth, making a dirty gesture for Nappa to snicker at before pulling his finger away and licking the sour cream off it. Vegeta set down his cup and groaned, clutching at his skull.  _ Fuck, what is this pain in my head?!  _ The others seemed oblivious to Vegeta's pain, still laughing.

"This is pretty good, but I prefer the flavor of Launch's  _ 'taco' _ ." Raditz said suggestively, smirking. 

"I bet she likes  _ meat _ in her tacos!" Nappa chuckled roughly and elbowed him, Raditz nodded his agreement. "She sure does!"

" **RADITZ** !" A shrill scream, followed by a bag flying at his head, made him have to duck quickly, catching the bag just in time before it exploded in Vegeta's face across him. Launch glared at him, infuriated. Bulma and Kannon were to the sides of her, looking just as angry after hearing their filthy conversation, and the fact that they hadn't had the patience to wait for them!

"Ridiculous... that a _mere_ frozen treat could best  _ me _ , the Prince of All Saiyans!" Vegeta bellowed, crushing his cup. The diners around them gasped as Vegeta stood up quickly, his anger radiating out around him as he experienced his first brain freeze from cold ice cream; infuriated that a simple milkshake could cause him such pain.

Bulma rolled her eyes and shooed off the other diners, "Mind your business people, nothing to see here!" She smiled sweetly, and the others looked away, losing interest as Vegeta seemed to be recovering from his headache, rubbing his scalp aggressively.

" _ Fuck! _ Why do they make those drinks so  _ cold!?" _ He growled, Bulma shaking her head.

"Sheesh, I can't believe you haven't tried out ice cream yet, Vegeta. We have  _ gallons _ of it at home. It'll go away. Want a coffee?" He nodded, and she sauntered away, leaving him to his own devices.

Vegeta aimed his hand at the table and incinerated his garbage, then sat and crossed his arms begrudgingly.

"Aww, Vegeta had his first brain freeze, the big mighty pwince brought to his knees!" Launch teased, Kannon cackling at his expense. He fumed, glaring holes into the others.

"Control your hair changing harlequins, would you?...  _ Buffoons _ ." He snarled, and the others obeyed, going to join the two blondes as Vegeta steamed.

Bulma came back not long after, toting beverages for them both.

"Here you are, a fresh cappuccino will fix you up!" Bulma chirped happily, setting the cup before him, before plopping in the chair beside him, sipping on her own latte. He picked up the cup and took a deep inhale of breath, closing his eyes as he sipped gratefully.

"So, did you enjoy shopping with Nappa and Raditz?" Bulma asked sweetly; aware they had most likely done nothing of the sort. That wasn't completely true, they did wander into a few various departments and trade tender for clothes and whatever shiny objects they thought interesting.

"It was fine. Did you find suitable clothing for their companions?" He questioned, sipping his liquid relaxation.

"Yes, I did." She responded, squeezing his hand. "I just... Have one thing left I haven't finished today, but..."

He looked at her seriously; sensing a wave of dread coming over her.

"There is no time like the present, as they say. Best to get it out of the way." He advised her, then went silent as Launch and Kannon sat at the table.

"The guys are going to go fetch us some food. Didn't you want anything, Bulma?" Kannon asked, and she nodded hesitantly.

"I'll purchase your meal." Vegeta said and stood, walking off with purpose. Bulma thought about his words, and how he seemed to have such command in his presence, so much that others felt subservient. She decided that he was right, and looked at Launch across the table from her, all blonde curls and sparkling green eyes lit with her joy from their entertaining day.

"What's up, Bulma? You look so serious all-a sudden." She remarked, her tail flicking suspiciously behind her back. Bulma let out a shaky exhale, clasping her shivering hands around the warm cup as she thought on it.

"Well, uh... You see, there's this thing..." She began, gulping anxiously.

"You remember how I was with Yamcha?"

"Course I do Bulma, but what's he got to do with anything?"

"Well, no matter what happened, I still can't shake the happy memories we shared before things went bad... Before I met Vegeta, I thought Yamcha was the best it was going to get." She said, tapping her nails on the cup. Launch raised one eyebrow, confused.

"Sure... Where are you going with this? I don't have all day, darlin."

"Ok, ok..." Bulma nodded, taking another breath. "You're the type of girl that likes to get straight to the punch, and I really admire that about you. That's why... I know that you will be strong enough to hear what I have to tell you." Bulma said bravely, taking a note from Launch, or rather; imagining she had her gun pointed at her chin to give her courage.

"Spit it out then, dollface. I can handle it." Launch said with a perfunctory fist on the table, Kannon glancing from her daughter to Bulma in mild confusion.

"You had a baby with Tien." Bulma said, getting straight to the point. Launch froze, her eyes widening.

"Wha- No, I... What the hell are implyin'!?" She shouted, her angered reaction barely covering the pain in her voice.

Bulma clutched her friend's fist tightly with both hands, tears running down to her chin, jaw quivering as she looked deep into Launch's eyes and nodded.

"That day, in the emergency room... The blood.. it turns out it was.. was a miscar-. I can't say it. I-I can't.." Bulma began, then burst into tears, sobbing. Launch was still frozen in place, just beginning to understand what she was trying to say to her.

Raditz came up beside her, and dropped to his knees, setting a bag of take out to the side as he shook her to get her to respond. He had heard everything, and at last he knew the answer once the pieces all fell together.

"Little Launch...my mate. I knew... I knew that I felt a ki like his growing inside of you. From the time I urged you not to go with the Gemini, I... I had sensed a change in you. It doesn't change anything we have. But now I fully understand why when the planets moved, you began to bleed..."

"There's no other humanoid species in this galaxy that could survive gestation with a saiyan." Nappa answered what Raditz was attempting to say bluntly, looking to Vegeta for confirmation.

"A saiyan infant, even in its most embryonic form, will absorb anything it can. That, or destroy it. Sudden Infant Death, it's what I  _ told _ you happened, blue brain."

"Shut up, Vegeta. You'll make it worse." Raditz spat, glaring at him from where he held Launch close to him.

"Wait, just listen to me for a moment before you traumatize my little girl,  _ Saiyans _ ." Kannon huffed, standing up.

"Raditz was onto something... a Gemini woman can become pregnant twice at once, as you've all figured out. I've seen it for myself during the times Propel was made to breed during the high tides.

And yes, if in a split second between her transformation, one infant could have jumped from one womb to the next, but, I still have one more suggestion for you all to consider. What if, during the movement of the planets, the force of that power was enough to.. To harm the child inside, and in defense of its mother, it eliminated itself to keep her from harm. It was too much power Vulcane was trying to contain. All the Geminis feel a huge surge in strength when the tide comes, and our home planets are drawn closer to the surface." Kannon finished, nodding her head in shaky confirmation to Launch. She didn't want the memory to be muddled with savage images of cannibalism. If she could spare her from it, just that bit, that she hoped Launch could heal from it.

"I see.." Launch nodded, and Bulma sighed in relief. "I... almost wish you never would have told me if it was gonna hurt this bad, but... now I have something to tell Tien, if he ever gets home, he has to know too. No matter how mad I am at him." Launch said as she clung to Raditz, hiding her face, before looking up at him. Raditz nodded, and kissed her on the forehead.

"Yes. This is your grief to bear, but I shall be here, no matter what happened in the past. We have this one gift, and we shall cherish it." He said softly, and rested his hand on her swelling stomach. Launch nodded quickly, wiping her tears away.

"Well, would everyone stop staring at me like I'm some kinda spectacle? My eyes might be leaky, but I still have a baby to feed." Launch huffed, reaching around her back for her concealed weapon.

"First..." Launch sighed, then turned to Kannon. "Thanks, mom. And everyone. Except you, Vegeta. Oh what the hell, I appreciate you trying to tell me, no matter how  **bad** you are at being nice." Launch chuckled huskily, and threw her arms around her mother, squeezing her tight.

Vegeta snorted, his only response to the woman giving off a stench of tears, that and his woman leaning against him to wipe hers on his shirt. He rose one hand, and placed it gently at the center of her back to comfort her.

"Well, let's eat then. Best not to keep our little saiyan waiting." Raditz said, and set his bag on the table before her, smiling as she sobbed on her mother's shoulder. A far away look came over him, and a tension arose in his throat that he couldn't swallow.

_ There was nothing I could do... But, if it were any other way... I would always stay with her. Even if I were to father a Gemini spawn. Imagine my surprise, how times have changed. _ He thought somberly, back to the dying face of her lover, now gone from this world.  _ You certainly left your mark on this world, Tien. So, when that day comes, and you walk the earth again... Though I wish deeply to slaughter you for making her hurt, I know with certainty that this is not your fault... I must pick up each piece of her, as I always have where you could not, Tien Shinhan. _

_ That is why, though we love to mask with self-sacrificial laments, instinctively I know, and dread without a doubt that my seed did indeed devour his offspring. It's the saiyan way. Eat, or be eaten. _

* * *

The next day when Gohan awoke, he felt much better than before. He was able to leave bed rest, and began exploring around the palace at Kami's Lookout, a little-known area that he found very intriguing. He had peeked around a few cracked doors, and saw not much but dusty rooms lacking a bed, or any ornament, yet in the darkness the length of the walls seemed endless. He was about to walk into one of these rooms, when he was quickly pulled back by an unforeseen force, the door closing immediately along with it.

Gohan yelped in surprise as he was lifted into the air by a disgruntled Piccolo, coming face to face with the green man he thought he would never see again.

"What are you doing, kid? Don't poke around places where you don't belong, things aren't as predictable here as they are on earth." He grumbled, holding Gohan in mid air with his telekinesis.

"H-How are you doing that?! P-Put me down!" Gohan squawked nervously, glancing around for something to take hold of, his eyes wide with fear.

"Are you  _ afraid _ of heights?" Piccolo questioned with confusion, the boy had never seemed this nervous before when he was flying.

"N-No! What would make you think that?" Gohan whimpered, then became even more anxious as Piccolo looked up, and in turn he floated up higher. He continued to let him go higher, and higher, until he was nearly touching the ceiling, screaming and wailing all the while.

"You're not coming down until you stop crying, Gohan." Piccolo warned, continuing to manipulate his movements in the air a bit; figuring the boy would get over it once he realized he wasn't going to let him drop.

"And  _ just what _ are you  **doing** ?" A familiar voice intoned dangerously, making Piccolo swear under his breath in Namekian.

"I heard that." Calliope growled, coming around to face him, her face matching her tone, glaring right through him with her golden eyes.

"Don't think about meddling in my business, ænäixa. I know what I'm doing here." Piccolo growled back, avoiding her gaze, only focusing on Gohan, who was now sobbing uncontrollably.

"The child is unwell. He should be resting!" He snapped, stepping forward once; threatening to cut off his telekinesis with force. She despised being called the Namekian word that most closely meant female; 'ænäixa' thus referencing only the organs, not her as a person, which she found incredibly rude. They had stopped calling one another sister or brother after learning their names, and yet he still insisted to call her as such.

"Physically, he is now fit to continue training. Mentally, unfit. But that's  **his** problem." He grunted out stubbornly, ignoring the ringing in his ears that was Gohan's cry.

"How could you, Piccolo? He is your pupil. Shouldn't a Master train the mind, and body?" Calliope pleaded, setting her anger with him aside for the sake of the child, she inched closer, placing her hand on his bicep and squeezing it urgently to gain his full attention.

Piccolo glanced at her for just a second, dreading to see if there were tears running from her eyes, but he found none, blinking in bafflement. So, perhaps Namekian women weren't as sensitive as he'd assumed from what he knew of Earth women.

"Ha! You blinked!" She cackled, and held her arms out to catch Gohan, having broken his concentration, she released his hold on the boy. Gohan fell into her arms; stunned by the change in gravity, his cries almost all abated.

"There, there little one, you're on solid ground once again." Calliope soothed, wiping his tear soaked cheeks with the sleeve of her wrap around halter top.

"He is  _ too large _ to carry." Piccolo snarled, despising the way she coddled the boy, it would only make him more soft.

"I am strong enough to carry his weight." She replied with an air of confidence, hefting Gohan up easily with her toned arms, the planed muscle of her pink abdomen easily visible through the criss-crossing chains she wore as a garment.

"Suit yourself. He knows how to fly. Or at least, he  **did** . Now he's regressed backward." He spat angrily; feeling his training had gone to waste, and would further be undone by Calliope's meddling. Piccolo's cheeks deepened to an angered burgundy hue, following behind as she walked out of the palace, and into the fresh air.

"Now, child, tell me why you have become wary of heights. You can tell me, I won't allow that  _ kašełlis _ to toss you around again." Calliope cooed, making Piccolo stop dead in his tracks, eyes wide. She had one upped him in his own game, instead of calling him some sort of internal male reproductive organ, she'd called him a scrotum.

"Uh.. ok... Miss Calliope... what's a... kap-cell-ees?" Gohan asked timidly, peeling over her shoulder to see Piccolo fuming in anger. Calliope laughed and was just about to tell him what it was, before Piccolo rushed up behind her and covered her mouth with both hands

"It's nothing for you to be concerned about! Don't let this  _ ænäixa _ fill your head with filthy thoughts!" Piccolo snarled, then his eyes went wide when Calliope backed up into him, her eyes glinting with a malevolent yellow hue. The woman's soft bottom bumped into his groin, an unexpected, yet pleasant movement that made him stiffen, his hands clasped around her mouth frozen in place.

_ This 'ænäixa' as you say is more than just a set of organs that you can classify. Yes, I am a woman, but I am a Namekian just like you. _

A whisper reached Piccolo's mind, and he gasped as he realized Calliope was using their shared ability for telepathy to speak privately with him. She then giggled, and snaked her tongue out to lick his hand. Piccolo released her quickly, wiping his hands on his pants with a grimace.

_ Childish fool. Keep your tongue in your mouth, next time you dare to lick me, I'll cut it off. _ He threatened, sending her a lovely image of him holding her by her tongue, the other fingers posed with a laser beam ready to slice it off.

_ Kašełlis. You wouldn't dare. In front of the saiyå youth? _ She scolded, sending him an image of Gohan crying that made him flinch back. She turned her head and glared at him with those golden Tiger's-Eye gemstones, reminding him of the powerful Sabertooth tiger that had taken in Gohan as a cub.

_ Intolerable tigress. I am more than just a sheath of skin that holds male organs.. Take it back. Or else, I take the kid. _ Piccolo smirked deviously, and Calliope huffed at his response, her cheeks violet from his almost affectionate nickname.

_ You don't get it, îdy•øt! The child needs to be nurtured to grow. He's delicate, he was near death, just as you were. I cared for you, just as he, until you were ready to walk again. _

Calliope responded lastly, stroking Gohan's hair back from his brow where it was pasted with perspiration. Piccolo looked on for a moment; seeing how Gohan looked frightened and pale, and regretted his harsh treatment of him, and her.

_ Maybe ænäixa was right. Calliope, I mean. _ His brows relaxed their furrowment, and he released the tension from his chest, his arms coming around Calliope to examine Gohan's face and neck with his hands where he had once been injured.

"You took a great fall, bearing the weight of it on your head. How did this happen, Gohan?" He asked, feeling frustrated as more tears fell down the child's cheeks. A flurry of images invaded the minds of both Namekians as Gohan remembered the fall he had suffered down the side of the tall mountain, where he had been flushing sand out of his eyes in the natural spring that Piccolo had shown him.

"I see. You poor child." Calliope soothed, drying his tears with her sleeve.

"You shouldn't have been up there when you could barely see, boy! You're just as foolish as your father." Piccolo scolded, then faltered. "There's more, though. What happened after that?" He asked, but quickly was met with a flash of black, blood splatter, Son Goku's wife screaming out in terror with the horrible discovery of her son with a broken neck. Afterwards, it was blank, Gohan blinking in question.

"I don't know what happened after that. That's where the memory ends." He said softly, lowering his face and smothering his tears on Calliope's chest. Piccolo moved away from his closeness with the woman and child, finding the warmth a bit too comfortable for his tastes, he walked away.

"Come find me when you stop that crying." He simply said, and walked towards the edge of the lookout where Kami and the others stood.

Calliope watched him walk away, frowning.  _ Why is he so angry? _

Piccolo cursed to himself as he approached the edge of the lookout, seeing a waterfall down far below.

_ This is all my fault. _

* * *

A lone speck of white drifted through all-encompassing space around it, fiery stars passing over the ruby porthole where a woman's face could be seen, her head tilted forward as she rested, her brows furrowed together in a troubled expression as she remained deep in stasis sleep. 

_ "Tyurni?" A familiar voice called from across the field where she was lingering, watching the violet grass swaying in the wind. Tyurni picked the last of the wild tyurnïe grapes they used on Vegeta to make a sweet wine from, placing them in her wicker basket, then licking one of her purple stained fingers.  _

_ "I'm coming, Chanā!" She called back, forgetting to undo her long modesty skirts tied in knots around her thighs to better walk through the tall grass.  _

_ Her sister Rachanā approached her, a frown clear on her gentle face. "We should be heading back to the village before it gets late, little sister." She urged, taking her sun bronzed hand with her darker brown one, they walked down the dusty trail, barefoot as dashmi peasants like themselves commonly did. "I've got lots of tyurnïes to make wine with, they're so ripe this time of year." Tyurni said with a shrug, swinging her basket; not catching on to the urgency her sister seemed to be walking with.  _

_ "Do you have enough to make wine for the market, then? We have to find some type of income while Bdakka is away. Ruuter isn't very happy. He came by looking for the rent today." Rachanā said in a low whisper, squeezing her hand tighter as they made their way back into the outer edges of North Vradashmi, once a great kingdom, it was now a place that harbored bandits, deserters, and thieves. Many had turned away from the Saiyan Army once it became Frieza Force, or suffered unimaginable trauma from their first purging missions, and came here to The Blue City to hide.  _

_ Long ago, the cobbled ground they walked upon was made of blue lapis bricks that lined each street in the colorful city; but now each brick had been dug from the earth to be sold for a smudge of mung tar, made from the musk secreted from the anal glands of feral pigs that some less battle worthy saiyans could get a high from by smoking. You could find these once great men, now languishing on the street corners, huddled around a fire where they could light their tar cigarettes. Tattered tails, sunken in eyes that told of great sadness, of horror stories they'd never utter of the hell they'd seen; with eyes glazed over by the mind altering drug. _

_ Death was left in the wake of their Galactic Emperor, Lord Frieza, who had taken over the Planet Vegeta three years ago now, leaving King Vegeta only a figurehead to give such saiyans a glimmer of a fighting chance. During these three years, the planet had suffered some great losses, resources, lives, their Pride. Some ragged, street preaching zealots yelled about The Order of Öozaru as the women walked by, clutching close to each other.  _

_ "THE RACE OF SAIYANS IS THE GREATEST, IN OUR BLOOD FLOWS THE SUPER SAIYAN OF LEGEND'S POWER!"  _

_ "DO NOT LET THEM BUY YOU WITH BATTLE PRESTIGE AND EMPTY PROMISES, ONLY THE GREAT GOD, MEGA ÖOZARU CAN GRANT YOU ETERNAL PEACE!"  _

_ "SEEK A RESTFUL DEATH WITH US, SO THAT YOU NEVER HAVE TO SEE THE FIRES OF ETERNAL HELL! BECOME ONE OF US BEFORE THE WORLD'S ENDING, AND WE SHALL ASCEND TO THE GREAT WARRIOR'S REST WITH OUR LOVED ONES!!" The red robed zealots cried to the skies, shaking their pronged sigil scepters, unafraid of death, they sought to give you peace at the end of a blade so that you could be spared from war, famine, and inevitable suffering.  _

_ But those cursed men knew better, they had seen with their very eyes the blood of the great saiyan race spilt, and poured into a crystal wine glass. Too many of them had committed great, unforgivable sins, Mega Oozaru was not a God of benevolence like Zaiyå Pritsypaiyä, the one Vradashmi people had once prayed to, he was a war God, a God of death.  _

_ Before the infiltration of the Eraknïs; the flesh eating insects that had decimated the royal family and the former inhabitants of the blue city, it had been named after the one remaining blue blood princess. Kalabrylea, who now came to be the mother of Broly, and second wife courtesan to King Vegeta.  _

_ Years later after the city was abandoned, traveling bands of saiyans from all over the planet had reclaimed it, the tall castle left to fall into ruin, for fear of its haunted halls. _

_ "I want to go home, Chanā.." Tyurni whispered, then gasped as a man made a grab for her bare leg, making her drop her basket.  _

_ "Payment time, Lord Ruuter's orders." The soldier disguised as a mung bum chuckled as he shook off his rags, another coming around the side to ensnare Rachanā by her long, braided locks.  _

_ "What's the meaning of this? You told me I had three days to pay up!" Rachanā cried out as she struggled to get away, still gripping Tyurni's hand.  _

_ "We'll take these as a gift to our master," The soldier purred as she had the basket of grapes torn from her hand. Tyurni was slung over the shoulder of a large man, kicking and crying as the same was done with Rachanā, though she scratched and kicked to escape. _

_ "Master had a better idea, he did. Didn't your mate read his contract when they enlisted him to work the outpost?" The soldier laughed, Tyurni and Rachanā shaking their heads. "He signed a paper stating that he left his belongings under the control of Lord Ruuter, and in turning over his lease, you little bitches were included." _

_ "Bdakka would  _ ** _never_ ** _ do that! You're wrong, you  _ ** _tricked_ ** _ him!" Rachanā argued. "We  _ ** _aren't_ ** _ anyone's property!" Tyurni snarled, beating on the breastplate of the soldier. He gripped her by her backside and slapped it, the other men guffawing at the display that left her bottom bared by her upturned skirt reddened.  _

_ "You are now, one man can't have two women to himself under one roof, you're whores as far as our Lord's considered, and the most comely of dashmi peasants."  _

_ "Bdakka's not my mate! He's bonded to Rachanā!" Tyurni argued, but the soldier wasn't having it. "Well, an unmated bitch is even better to consort for the lord and pass around the barracks, isn't she?"  _

_ "NO! PLEASE, DON'T HURT MY LITTLE SISTER!" Rachanā screamed, and managed to scramble away, falling. She made a slash for the soldier holding Tyurni's ankles, then was booted hard in the face.  _

_ "For that you can go first, once we get back i'll make sure you're raped the hardest, stupid bitch." He growled as he kicked her in the head, Tyurni sobbing as she watched her sister's torment.  _

_"STOP, STOP IT, PLEASE!"_ Tyurni screamed, then her eyes burst open, and she was freed from the terrifying memories, gasping for her breath. She looked out the window, her breathing rapid, noticing how she had broken out into a sweat during her night terrors, the small window foggy with condensation. She took a deep breath, somewhat relieved that it had only been a dream, but it was just how it happened in the past. Her mind was once again tormenting her with the same recollection of events she has suffered with for the last 12 years since she was imprisoned. Tyurni wiped the moisture off the window with her hand, looking out to see the vast expanse of the galaxies before her. 

Her gaze softened, and she smiled as she looked out, her hand resting on the window. The part of the dream that her mind failed to let her see before waking up was how they had been saved by Bdakka, and escaped the planet when he commandeered an outpost ship, and flew them far away from planet Vegeta before it's inevitable explosion. There were few, small happy moments she could recall of their space travel that kept her going. She could always remember those times before they were captured by the Gemini's after receiving a surprising call in saiyan over the radio, saying that there was a secret saiyan haven, and they were welcome to join them on their oasis. They shouldn't have taken the bait, because the Gemini Cult fortress was just on the shore of East City, where they were later tricked, then tortured. 

_ That's another story for a different day, _ Tyurni reflected with a sigh, and glanced down at the map on the control panel to see how far she had travelled while in stasis. Her eyes widened in alarm, as she quickly realized why she had woken from stasis. Red lights began flashing, signifying an emergency.

" **Energy is dangerously low. Battery will soon deplete, please make an emergency landing** ." The robotic female voice announced, warbling a little from the lack of power. What little charge had remained in the tanks of the ship was now depleted, and the ship would soon be dead, and she left floating helpless in space. Her eyes widened, and she picked up the radio, dialing the sister ships. The resulting tone she received from Faranna and Guyéthar signaled that their ships had already fallen, the elder saiyans likely incapacitated by the lack of air in the ships. Tyurni gasped, and began to click on the control panel to see what her oxygen level was at. 

" **Oxygen, 5%. Please refill air supply on a suitable planet. Battery death is now imminent** ." 

"No…" Tyurni breathed, looking up into the window to see a massive white ship flying overhead, it's legs extending from the base to make an opening below deck.

" **10, 9, 8…" ** Tyurni felt her ship begin to shudder from the suctioning motion, hanging onto whatever she could, looking on helplessly as the first two ships were sucked in. 

**"3, 2...1...0."** Her ship lost all power, and the lights inside all died. She felt the weight shift, then gasped as the small pod began to tremble from the force of the larger ship's gravity field. There was nothing she could do but squeeze her eyes shut as Frieza's ship pulled her in. She'd been captured… _ again. _

… 

The lower deck of Frieza's ship swarmed with henchmen and soldiers filled with anticipation; all curious about the three space pods caught in the gravity field now docked beyond the air-lock, trapped with no escape. 

"Back up, back it up, ya ingrates. Make way for Lord Frieza." Dodoria shouted, shoving gawkers out of the way to make a clear path for the small, yet deadly overlord. The crowd parted, and the hovercraft was allowed to pass with both of his highest ranking soldiers walking dutifully behind to protect his back from attack.

"Is it those flea-ridden saiyans? They should have never dragged their rat tails back here." Zarbon seethed lowly.  _ Besides that one, Raditz. I rather liked to toy with him. _ He snickered, reminiscent of the times he would torture the long haired mass of muscle into submission.

"Those ships are the  **old** model." Dodoria clipped, not wishing to speculate, he'd rather just see it now, at present. As far back as he could recall; being in service to the Cold's as long as he had, these were indeed the old ships the army used to utilize.  _ But, how? All those old ships have been retired and used for scrap metal. How did they escape our radar for all this time? _ Dodoria thought, a bead of sweat rolling down his pink, thorny temple in the balmy deck, filled with hot breaths that made him perspire even worse than usual. With the radar they were able to track scouter readings, and ship locations with technology they had preserved to keep in the headquarter ship, keeping track of all the soldiers at all times.

As of late, they'd been floating on a straight trajectory, blasting whatever lie before them to make way for the fleet. Frieza had gathered his ships and was determined to make the long distance count by conquering and draining each planet in his path for valuables.  _ Perhaps those ships have been floating stagnant since before the destruction of Planet Vegeta... _

"Dodoria. Zarbon. Pry open the ships." A scathing voice hissed, causing Dodoria to pause his train of thought as he nearly ran into Frieza's hovercraft.

"Dotard. Clean the wax from your ears and attend to his Highness' command." Zarbon whispered sharply, giving him a little push.

" **Pry** them open?  _ How? _ Won't they self-destruct?" He hissed back, but was then answered as one of the dock men that had been witness there before them answered.

"We **tried** the master control pad. Even tried detonation, but these ships are dead. That's why they were caught up in the gravity field, because they hadn't been recharged in so long." He said with a shrug, showing the control pad to him. Dodoria took it, and jabbed the command button hard enough to open the ships, but there was no response. He tossed the control pad, snarling, and stormed up towards the ships.

"Hands off, weaklings. Sire's orders." Dodoria snarled, swiping one to the side with just a brush of his hand.

The deck workers that had been attempting to pry open the ships with crowbars and their bare fingers suddenly scurried away as he came forward, cracking his knuckles. Dodoria placed his hands on either side of one of the ships. Zarbon followed, and planted one boot on the other ship, pulling up with a grunt of effort. Dodoria dug his fingers into the old ship, making indents in the metal, then peeled back the door with a grunt of effort, opening it like a tin can. Zarbon managed the same, breaking his open wide enough to see what was inside.

_"Drag them **out!"**_ Frieza slavered viciously; his eyes blazing to see just what lied in the pods. Dodoria reached inside and dragged out the lifeless looking passengers; whispers of confusion making a din in the oblong tunnel that was the lower deck.

" **Shut up** and return to your rooms." Frieza ordered, scowling as the elderly pair were pulled from the ships; still in stasis it seemed. His officers set them down gingerly, afraid to break the ancient beings. Just  _ how long _ had these crones been drifting through space?!

The hall cleared out and they were left alone, besides the workers that needed to be there, now disinterested. Two elderly humans were no challenge. Frieza was highly disappointed with this, and reached for the control to turn his craft around.

"Wait- they have tails, your lordship. What remains of them." Zarbon said urgently, lifting one of them up by the arms to show a stub of a tail. The lilac skinned Lord pulled back his lip in a scowl.

"Those  _ withered _ old corpses... are Saiyans? How?" He growled, eying the beings up and down, and confirming his suspicions by examining the cracked armor they wore. It was crumbling to dust, but it was of the old world, Sadala. How they had managed to avoid detection from him for so long, he couldn't imagine. 

"I'm not.. sure. Shall we take them for questioning?" Dodoria questioned, hiking his up, and seeing that this one was male.

"Yes. You can put them in a containment cell.. But first, show me what's in the third pod." He grumbled; finding himself rather disappointed his monkey crew hadn't returned. They were overdue for a lashing.

"Right away, Sire." Dodoria obliged, strolling over, and punching a hole in it. Frieza dragged his hand down his face and sighed, Zarbon pushing his fellow officer aside.

"Not like that! Really." He sneered, then crouched, peering through the hole.

"Oh... my." He murmured, citrine eyes widening.

"Well? What do you see?!" Frieza crowed, lunging forward from his chair.

"It's a...ah.." Zarbon said softly, then reached inside, and grasped something, a hand coming out, and forcing the metal back with one hand easily.

"A..  _ girl _ ." Zarbon murmured as he escorted the woman out, in a princely fashion becoming of himself as the last passenger floated down to the ground. She was black amethyst haired, with dark olive skin; bearing all the marks of a dashmi saiyan.

"What is... the meaning of all this?" She said meekly, glancing around herself anxiously, half of a tail with a blunt end tucked between her space spandex covered thighs.

Frieza removed his hand from his face, and stared aghast at the sight before him, one eye starting to spasm.

"Who are you?" He said evenly, his fingernails making dents in the armrest. The girl turned away from gazing at Zarbon, and lifted her chin up proudly as she addressed him, taking a deep breath before speaking.

"I am the one named Tyurni." She announced, the three glancing back and forth to one another.

"Is she someone of importance?" Dodoria asked, not recalling anyone with her name being someone important.

Frieza rested his pink striped cheek in his palm and grinned; smiling down at her, his tail curling around in the air as it dangled off the chair, swaying almost...  _ happily _ .

"She is. Tyurni, my dearest. You've just made my day..." He intoned slyly, then tilted his head back, and laughed heartily.

Tyurni tilted her head, her asymmetrical bob exaggerating the innocent gesture as she wondered who this pale skinned being was, and why he was laughing.

Zarbon and Dodoria glanced at each other from their peripheral, their faces slack of expression, tight-lipped as if apprehensive.

"Take her to the most luxurious quarters we have. Spare no expense making our saiyan guest feel at home, with all the amenities. She must look her best."

His henchmen nodded without question, roughly taking her by the arms.

"Tch! Have you no delicacy? Be  _ gentle _ , you barbarians!" Frieza scolded, and the two let go, completely flummoxed by this change in commands.

"I shall like to dine with our guest once she is bathed and dressed. Find a female soldier, perhaps Vacaodo can attend to her. No man's hands shall touch her." He intoned darkly, then turned around, and glided off. The two exchanged silent glances, then Dodoria picked up the two inert saiyans, carrying them underneath his arms as Zarbon clicked a button on his scouter.

"Vacaodo. Yes. Come to the lower deck at once. Lord Frieza requests your assistance." He informed her sternly, then turned back as he ended the call to glance down at Tyurni; who was eying him curiously, her round eyes suddenly widening at the sound of his Lord's name.

"Do you not know where you are? Have you lost mental faculty?" He asked sharply in a low hiss, moving his elbow for her to take, her hesitantly grasping his lilac brigandine.

"I..." She murmured, large doe eyes gazing up at him. "Yes...and no. I don't recall." She spoke softly, walking with him.

"Well, you'd better shape up. This is no place for a saiyan." He sniffed, and didn't give her much more to go on. Tyurni gulped, seeing the woman that was to attend to her approach. Vacaodo was a tall, muscular woman with green and yellow skin, wearing black, bumpy armour with spikes, a long, whiplike tail with two prongs swaying behind her. She stopped before Zarbon, of whom she stood a bit taller than. A true Amazon, with a shock of braided black hair that hung between two round muscles... or breasts, encased in sharp looking armour.

"Commander Zarbon." She purred, bowing at the waist to him.

"Vacaodo, you've been called to duty. Our Lordship's orders, you shall attend to our guest's every need, and keep close watch on her. She dines with him once you've made her look decent...  **pretty** ." He corrected; not sure what Vacaodo's species  _ was _ , if she really  _ was _ a woman, what her idea of attractiveness was, and  **why** in all the Quadrants Frieza had requested this. But, he must be subservient to every whim of his Lord, lest he be eliminated and replaced.

Vacaodo slowly nodded, understanding. She glanced down at Tyurni, and beckoned her with one large, claw tipped hand.

"Come, little saiyan girl. I shall not hurt you unnecessarily." The amazon alien said with an almost reptilian rumble, as Tyurni stumbled away from Zarbon, and scurried behind Vacaodo. He huffed; not caring whether or not the saiyan bitch feared him. She  _ should _ fear him.

Tyurni's heart raced, gazing up at the tall woman, before her two pronged tails wrapped gently around her wrists, and began to escort Tyurni to her room. Her heels squeaked a bit on the glossy floor with resistance, but she was soon forced to fall into step, or be dragged, her head hanging as a look of terrible dread dawned over her.

_ Rachanā, Bdakka... I hope to all the gods, that you shall not discover my fate, if I do live... What is the meaning of it? _

* * *

Raditz smoothed his hands over the sleek suit that had been tailored to fit his size, admiring it's sleek design, yet feeling it unfamiliar. In his mind, saiyans would traditionally wear their best armour to any special event. He sighed, and zipped up the protective bag, hanging it back up in the closet where he'd put it. Beside it, Raditz saw something even better than a tuxedo, and grinned. Dr. Briefs had put his new armour in the closet, as he'd promised. It was even fitted to a plastic model the same size as him so that the stretchable suit would retain the same size, instead of shrinking. Raditz gazed at the armour, but seemed less quick to touch it, gulping. 

"Don't even think about it." A husky voice said from behind him, and Raditz opened his mouth to object. 

"But, Launch… Can't I try it on?" Raditz questioned, turning to see the blonde behind him as she sat down on the guest bed. 

"If you try it on, I'll never get you out of it! I told ya, you have to take a little break from fighting now." She said, rubbing her back and wincing. 

"Rest is  **important** , Raditz. How can your muscles  _ grow _ if you're  _ constantly _ pushing them to the limit? You never let yourself heal up!" Launch shouted, and he flinched a little. She was right, after all. It was a big reason why he had to wear resistance bands on his arm and leg. There was a deeper reason for this, one he didn't want to go over with her right now. 

Raditz frowned and closed the closet door, then walked over to rest one knee on the bed, rubbing her with his ki warmed hands to relieve her lower back pain. 

"I understand. ...I just want to be dressed how I always have." He reasoned softly, but she shook her head. 

"Rest. That means,  **no armour** . It reminds me too much of battle." She huffed, and he nodded, supposing he could see her point. 

"Ok. But, afterwards… when we're training.." Raditz said even lower, trying to weasel his way into wearing it, he increased the heat to his hands, hoping to make her feel more relaxed. 

"Training for  **what** ?" Launch said sharply, and Raditz's eyes widened. He paused, scratching the back of his head. 

"Well, for… uh, unfinished business." 

" **Don't** tell me!" Launch growled, and he growled back at her, clutching her back.  _ This makes no sense, if she didn't want to know, why did she even ask?  _ Raditz thought, then grimaced as Launch continued to yell at him, wishing he could just calm her down right now, but  _ how? _

"I had a  _ long _ day, Raditz! My feet hurt, and I can't even have a beer to relax! I was just told that I lost my baby, and now you tell me you have  **more** battles to fight-- that you wanna  _ leave _ me!" Launch shouted, slapping his hand away from her back with her tail, and crossing her arms angrily. 

"I  _ do not _ want to leave you, I would be a disgrace to my kind if I left you now, with no protection." Raditz affirmed seriously as his hair prickled down his back, and his tail ticked. His primal instincts were enjoying the challenge she was presenting, but his more reasonable side was more logical, and felt conflicted by her clearly upset state. _ It is after all, my fault she's pregnant _ , _ no doubt about it.. _ he reasoned, and frowned.  _ It's also my fault  _ ** _I_ ** _ can't relax either. There's just too fucking much to think about.  _

Raditz let out a long exhale, and reached down, picking Launch up, right off the bed, and holding her in his arms. 

"What are you _doing?!"_ She shouted as she slapped at his chest, tears falling down her face as he looked down, a hurt gaze in his eyes. "I'm sorry, Launch. I want to fix this." He whispered, then walked them towards the window, and jumped out. 


	38. A Sapphire To Light His Darkness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all enjoy this special Launchitz chapter! I know I did! Also, check out the 1st chapter if you're interested in reading my new prologue with more background on events prior to the story.

_ "Rest is _ ** _important_ ** _ , Raditz. How can your muscles _ ** _grow_ ** _ if you're constantly pushing them to the limit? You never let yourself heal up!" _

What Launch had said to him kept going through his mind as Raditz flew her to their destination, her face buried in his chest as she sulked, still sniffling. He hadn't realized that the battle against the Geminis had such a strain on Launch, but he supposed it was only logical for her to feel emotional. They had survived the Eclipse, nearly the end of all the Saiyans, but they had managed to triumph in spite of it; her healing assistance being highly significant. Not to mention, her body was undergoing changes unique to _ any _ being on Earth. As far as Raditz knew, Launch was the only Gemini-Saiyan hybrid in existence, as well as the only woman to become pregnant _ twice _ at once. 

He couldn't begin to sympathize with what she was going through–having no understanding of her unique situation, but Raditz was determined to help her feel better, regardless. He decided that it was time for her to understand more about him, after all, they were mates now, and he should hide nothing from his mate… Even if it was something he had kept hidden away from _ himself _ for all this time, denying its existence. 

"Raditz…?" Launch murmured, looking up to see where they were now that her tears had mostly dried. Everywhere she looked, she saw endless sand dunes, shadows cast in rich umber topped with golden waves of sand bathed in sunlight, that moved and shifted with the gentle winds. The sky was a warm, rosy shade touched with scarlet and lavender, where the expansive harvest sun was sinking into the horizon. 

"Do you remember this place?" He asked, glancing down at her a moment. Launch gripped around his shoulders, and turned in his arms so that she could see the sands of Diablo Desert rushing beneath him as he did, the side of her mouth twitching almost in a smile as she recalled her days of riding through the desert on her S-Cargo, on the run from police. She also remembered the day that she'd been taken along in the place of Blue to watch him train, challenging him to lift her, along with her bike with just the strength of his tail. Her eyes shimmered as she nodded, her hand to her mouth to hold back her emotions threatening to bubble up to the surface. 

Launch had always been an emotional woman full of vivacious energy, a hellcat when she was angry. The feelings she felt for Raditz overwhelmed her senses, her emerald gaze swimming as she struggled to speak clearly. 

"Yeah… Sure I remember, I guess." She bluffed, and looked away, Raditz raising one brow inquisitively. 

"Surely you remember, we had our first… _ date _ here…?" He said, clearing his throat anxiously. It was a Saiyan 'date', more so than the human type by his reasoning, but it was still an important time in their courtship. To take his desired mate along with him training, and display his strength to her was a clear signal to her, that of his interest. 

"Oh, look, there it is!" She shouted, pointing down. Raditz stopped his flight, and dipped down immediately. Finding the Oasis wasn't easy, in the shifting desert sometimes it would be concealed completely. Human legends told of it, and how men died to find it. Little did they know that the hidden desert Oasis legend was no mirage, or optical illusion, but a _ real _, shifting thing that lived on the fringes of this reality. Raditz was no stranger to oddities like this, having seen them in space. But after all, what is reality but a thin veil between us all? Raditz landed, letting her down carefully to stand on the grass where they had shared their first bento box picnic together. 

Launch walked around, her bare feet tickled by the grass as she came to a stop at a large tree, and placed her hand on it where above her head, a gouged area in the wood was still healing. Back then, she had challenged Raditz and questioned his intentions when he had landed on this planet; finding out that he had failed his mission he came here to complete. Raditz disregarded his duty to stay with her, defended her against Tien and Vulcane, then claimed her as his mate. 

She felt a warmth near her back as he placed his hand above hers, and felt the grooves in the bark. "The scarring of my struggles still remain to this day. Like my chest wound, this too, shall never heal normally." He remarked, sighing. Launch turned around to face him, and they were back again in the same position as before. She looked up at him with a scowl of disbelief, then crossed her arms, looking away with a huff. 

"Just tell me why're we here, Raditz? Or are you just going down memory lane for shits and giggles?" Launch growled, and pushed on his chest. She still wasn't won yet, but he had anticipated that, of course. He knew his girl like the back of his hand. He smirked, then pulled back from the tree, and began removing his shirt slowly, his broad pecs flexing, making the pale pink scar shimmer as his skin twitched with his movements.

"What's wrong with reliving old times, Launch? Especially if they were _ good _ times." He reasoned, tossing his shirt at her feet as he continued to undress, unbuttoning his jeans, and sliding them down the sculpted grooves of his hips to remain standing, wearing burgundy colored boxer briefs. She crossed her arms and waited, blowing a hair out of her face as if unaffected until he wore nothing but the hair on his back, his tail swaying back and forth above his muscular behind playfully. 

_ "Last one there is a rotten egg!" _ He teased, and whirled around, Launch tossing her head back and groaning at his childishness. 

"I don't have a bikini with me, Raditz!" She shouted, stomping one foot as a loud splash was heard in the distance behind the weeds. Launch cursed to herself as she began to strip, looking around and deciding that there was no way anyone would see a thing out here as she removed her black tee shirt, then kicked off her green slacks quickly, struggling to get out of her bra. 

"Well, I guess I'm a rotten egg, then." She muttered, finally tossing the titty torment device, and flinging her underwear at the ground like a slingshot. Her golden brown tail instinctively tucked between her legs for modesty as she covered her chest. She glanced around, then took off flying over the weeds to hover over the water, where there seemed to be no one in it. Launch grumbled, tapping her foot on the surface of the water. Then, she saw a massive black shadow moving around beneath, and snorted sarcastically. 

"Oh no, where could Raditz _ possibly _ have gone? It's not like that _ giant shadow _ with a _ tail _ sticking up is any indication." She snorted, watching how his tail moved around like a submarine radar, not expecting him to suddenly grab her ankle, and pull her under like he did. She screamed, but was quickly rescued, being carried in his arms as he swum her underwater. Her curious Gemini characteristics made themselves known as a blue film went down over her eyes, a hidden second eyelid, and tiny fins formed on her wrists, ankles and hips. Launch was unaware of it, holding onto him comfortably as he made a few long passes through the water, before surfacing. Raditz didn't seem to need to come up to breathe, and neither did she. Being a Neptunian like Kannon; she had inherited her mother's ability to breathe underwater, as had he when Kannon gave him the gift of breathing underwater with her alteration magic so long ago, and it had lasted him for all his life. 

They floated at the center of the small pool, the water a comfortable temperature after the sun had beaten on it for most of the day, rays of light still lingering on the surface as it rippled from their movements. They moved to the edge of the water, and rested against the smooth sandy bank, partially submerged. 

"Launch, let me explain, about what you said before." Raditz said softly, and took her hand, gently touching the delicate, transparent fins that remained as long as she was in the freshwater lake. 

"Ok." She nodded, and stared out at the sunset as Raditz took an inhale of breath, and thought on how to begin. 

"You know, we saiyans always have the urge to fight, to take on any challenge that presents itself. You share in this feeling, right?" He began, looking to her for confirmation. Launch hesitated for a moment, then shrugged her shoulders in agreement. Of course she could relate to this feeling, she'd always been considered unhinged, and violent to most humans. But, as a saiyan, she acted accordingly. 

"That's where it becomes an issue, you see. Sometimes, I don't know _ when _ to stop. Even as a child, I was full of energy, rambunctious you could even say." Raditz smirked, Launch giggling. "Kannon told me about how you and Vegeta destroyed her house playing and sparring just about everyday." She smiled, and Raditz's grin faltered, though the memory had been a happy one, the ones before that weren't always quite as such. 

He stroked her hand anxiously, his tail squirming in the water. 

"My father… wasn't quite as ah, easy going as Miss Pinchie." Raditz said softly, his eyes falling down to gaze at his own legs, dangling in the water. 

"What do you mean?" Launch asked quickly, then held back, sensing that this was a sensitive topic. 

"I'll cut to the chase, then. He… Bardock would beat me, every time I got away. I was _ too _ rambunctious. When the nursery women abused me, he punished them, but when he did the same, I was expected to bear the brunt of it. My mother tried to stop it… but, after all, I **was** born with the inability to use my legs." Raditz said raspily, his voice growing thick as he spoke quickly to get the heavy burden off his chest all at once. 

Launch furrowed her brows, both in confusion, and with deep sympathy. 

"Raditz… honey, I'm so sorry…but, what do you _ mean _ by you couldn't **use** your legs? You were a _ baby _, weren't you?" She said incredulously, fisting her hands in frustration, there was nothing she could do, or make of this now that it was so far in the past. 

Raditz turned his face and grimaced, stroking her thigh. 

"A saiyan's legs, they aren't as weak as a human's. A pup should be capable of walking within moments of being born, from pod, or natural birth. I wasn't **able** to. I lied on my back, defenseless as a tortoise." Raditz spat, one hand going to rub his creasing forehead, shading his eyes. 

"It is seen as a great, unforgivable weakness. Even Tarble of Vegeta's lineage was exiled for the same reason, I believe. Vegeta never once uttered those exact words to me, but over the years, he has shown subtle signs that he had an intimate understanding for my condition." Raditz huffed as if admitting this was a shameful offense, shrinking away from her in fear of her rejection. 

Launch stared with her mouth hanging open, wanting to scream to the heavens and shake Raditz with all she had, but she closed her mouth and nodded for him to continue, placing her hand gently on his forearm. 

"Bardock was born a battle pup. He was incubated in his mother's womb as she was active in battle. Because of this, he was able to walk from birth, he was born on the battlefield, a soldier from birth. How could I ever live up to that?" Raditz spat bitterly, the water splashing as he hit it with his fist angrily, his face contorted. 

"I grappled with this affliction as a boy, making sure that my legs would never be too weak to stand. A Saiyan _must_ _stand,_ if he cannot _fly_, how can he _survive?"_ Raditz said softly, and placed his hands on his thighs, for once Launch was looking at him as a man who was… _hurt_. His long legs remained at rest in the water, as he gripped them and crouched forward, gritting his teeth together. Launch clung to his back, stroking him reassuringly as painful shudders went through his body, his face partially concealed by a curtain of wet hair. 

"Raditz," She responded softly, attempting to soothe him. 

"They sent me away, how could they?! Even Gine, she let him take me, that, or be an _ engineer! _ I wasn't battle ready, when they sent me out to space to.. _ see _ if I could ** _survive?!_ ** I have gone all my life, thinking that this was a customary rite of childhood, I repeated the words to Kakarot before my interference _ killed _ him, my own younger brother…

"What kind of example of our _ great _ race was I setting for him, but that of a **savage** ? What would Bardock think of me? Should Planet Vegeta exist, I'd be exiled like those before me to eternal imprisonment. Now that I am becoming a father, I cannot _ imagine _ that thinking…" Raditz said softly, and sighed heavily, his chest sinking with the long exhale. He reached down and pulled on the red band on his thigh, then gestured to his arm where there was the other one he always wore, what Launch had assumed was some type of decoration. 

"I had to wear these after I caused internal damage to my muscles, so much so that now I may wear them for life. Not because they still need to heal, but as a reminder. Of my father." Raditz said bitterly, and snapped the band. "He's dead, of course, you know that. Dead by…his sacrifice." He said lowly, then turned his face away. Launch understood that Raditz had spoken his part, and treading deeper on this subject wouldn't be wise, by the shaking quality of his body, brimming with his intense anger and pain. Launch sighed, and snaked her arms around his waist, holding him in a loving embrace. 

"Raditz, you are a better man than your ancestors. These are… new times, a new age for the last of the Saiyans. We will raise our child as we wish, and if his legs don't work, he _ won't _ be cursed. I'll love our baby no matter what, whether or not he comes out with a furry mop, or fuckin' fins on his head. Because he's part **you** , and part **me** . We're going to cherish, and love our baby, like _ we _ never were. We'll give him all the love we didn't get." She said softly, and Raditz turned his head quickly, his tail twitching from out of the water. 

"..._ 'Him'?" _ He asked, turning around to eye the gentle slope of her belly, then inspect her gaze, as if trying to figure out how she knew the child's sex, and he didn't. 

"Yes, our baby is a boy, Raditz. I can't tell ya _ how _ I know yet, but I can tell. And he's gonna be all ours to raise, how **we** like, ok?" She said gently, tracing her finger down his cheek, where a stray stream of water was trailing down. Launch gasped upon seeing that it was hot, his eyes reddened. He grasped her hand tightly, and moved it to press against his cheek. 

_ Launch, I'm scared. A saiyan should never cry. Frightened that I will hurt him. I can't do it. Don't want to be like Bardock. I lost him, Kakarot, little brother Kakarot is dead. I failed to protect him, like Bardock asked.. It's all my fault. I don't know if I can be a good father to him. Launch is bearing. My son. Will he be like me? _A long stream of consciousness came from him, and into her mind without Raditz realizing as he closed his eyes, and she caressed his hand on her cheek. 

"It's all gonna be ok, Raditz. We can do this." She whispered huskily, and leaned closer to kiss him, her long, damp curls clinging to her tanned back. Raditz clutched her close to him, pulling her into his arms and squeezing her in a tight embrace. Launch smiled and combed her hands through his hair, detangling it with the assistance of the water it was soaked in. Raditz leaned into her embrace and sighed, closing his eyes as she groomed his mane, raking her fingers along his scalp as she stared into his eyes, their noses touching. 

A deep purr rumbled from his chest, and she giggled, kicking him gently in the leg from where they were resting. Raditz grinned and splashed her back, his loud purr resonating in the silence as she continued to groom him once the splashing stopped. Raditz rested his head on her chest, feeling content, but worried still that Launch's sorrows hadn't been healed, though she seemed happy now. "Launch, how are you feeling now? Are you still in pain?" He questioned, lifting his head with a concerned gaze. Launch hesitated, then gently nodded. 

"I'm in a little pain, but it's getting better. The water is helping." She responded, holding around him as her legs and back were weightless seemed to be helping greatly, but she couldn't help but feel like a rock trying to sink to the bottom, her abdomen stretching, breasts aching. A mischievous grin came over Raditz's face, and she gasped as suddenly the water warmed to a more comfortable degree, the water bubbling up around between them to massage her body gently like a jacuzzi. Launch sighed and hung her weight off of him, feeling relaxed even more now, she felt a tiny purr of her own rattle out from her throat. 

"Oh, man.. how're you doing that?" She breathed, and Raditz made the bubbles pulse with his tail, the heat coming from his body in a gentle wave that wasn't uncomfortable for her and the baby. 

"A secret, you'd laugh if you saw how I was doing this." He snickered, and she looked down, seeing his tail spinning around in circles like a propeller, just like how Goku used to do. Launch cracked up laughing, letting herself recline on her back as the bubbles kept her afloat, a jet of extra powerful ones going between her legs as he stared down at her tempting nude body. 

"Hey!" She exclaimed, but didn't resist it, enjoying the pulsing sensation of the water prodding at her for a moment. Raditz reclined back with her, allowing her to float beside him on his arm as he used the other hand to form a reddish orb in his hand. Launch's eyes widened, and she gasped as it floated up slowly, then began to disperse into smaller orbs that went beneath the clear water, lighting it up crimson pink beneath them. 

"How'd you do that?" Launch asked, touching his open hand to see if it was still hot. 

Raditz flexed his fingers, and clasped her hand, interlacing her fingers with his. 

"I'll show you. You should learn this, in the case you ever lose your weapon and have to resort to a ki blast." He said gently, cupping her hand, and sharing his ki with her. Her hand quickly dried from the heat, and she nodded, feeling a tingling sensation beginning in her palm, then flowing down her veins. 

"See how my ki is flowing into you harmlessly? Ki can be used to hurt, and in some cases heal. It's not quite as strong as your healing magic, but effective nonetheless for aching muscles. Now, concentrate that ki, and direct it back out. The first will be easy because I've already got it started for you." Raditz said softly, and released her hand. 

Launch nodded, and flexed her hand into a cupped position, tightening the muscles in her arm to make her veins strain, but Raditz stopped her, resting his hand on her wrist. 

"Not so hard, yet. You'll hurt yourself if you try a large blast now. Just breathe in, and out. Let it flow freely." He said, and Launch took a deep breath, feeling the ki suction back with it, then exhaled, and saw how her veins glowed deep purple as the red ki pulsed through, then sparks danced on her hand, collecting slowly to gather into a shivering little orb. 

"You're doing it, keep on trying." He encouraged, and Launch pulsed the power once more, making the orb float above her, though it danced with sparks, and wasn't a perfect circle like Raditz's was. 

"Good job. Can you make another?" Raditz asked, and she nodded, feeling more confident after the first was a success. Launch concentrated the energy from herself this time into her hand, taking deep breaths as an incandescent flame tinted with green shimmers of light began to form, Raditz's brows raising upon seeing her curious ki. 

"Why's mine green, and yours is red?" She asked, the flame sparkling in her hand. 

"Everyone's aura is different depending on the person, Launch. Yours is very unique. See if you can multiply it." He whispered, and she understood, flexing her hand and easily parting the flame into many smaller ones, which fell, and sat upon the water, flickering to add to the romantic setting. 

"Wow, I did it…! It's so pretty here, Raditz." She said softly, resting her head on his shoulder as the lights lit the water up from within, and danced upon their skin under the setting sun. Tree frogs chirped happily away in the long, swaying fronds of willow trees, which traced lines in cursive along the glowing pink and green surface of the water.

"Yes…it is. There are many planets that rival the beauty of earth, many that will only live on in my memories. But earth is beautiful not only for its surroundings, but also for the people on it. At least, the ones I've grown to know." Raditz responded softly, playing with her hair as it dangled in the water. 

Launch frowned, looking away a moment towards the dark woods beyond them as she reflected on this. 

"Not all people on earth are so kind, in fact quite a lot of them are worse than the aliens they're so frightened of." She remarked coldly, and Raditz frowned at this, stroking her shoulder as he attempted to understand her reasoning behind this.

"Some men… Aren't quite as sweet as you. I….I still have nightmares about my past in that _ damn _ orphanage." She glanced back at him quickly; and the two of them realized at that moment that they shared secrets deeper than either of them wanted to admit at that moment. Launch's eyes darted down to the water and she took a deep breath, her chest shuddering. 

"You don't...have to tell me anything unless you want to." Raditz whispered, and came up behind her to hold her around the waist, kissing her shoulder. Launch shuddered as he pulled back her hair, and kissed her mark tenderly. The idea that some man had hurt her in the past made his strong desire to protect her flare up, clutching her close to him as he loved upon her neck with gentle kisses and grazes of his teeth. 

"If I told you, what would you do?" 

"Kill him," Raditz snarled into her throat, "Then, I'd show you how much I desire you, until your every pore is saturated with my scent, and you forget every worrying thing that ever crossed your mind at night. When you dream these things, I'll kiss your tears away. I'll chase those memories away until your mind is only filled with bliss." Raditz whispered, and Launch chuckled huskily, tilting her head back to better receive his touch. 

"You don't have to worry, Raditz. I feel safe with you, no matter what happened in the past. I'm ok now." She said softly, reaching down to place her hands atop his on her waist. She closed her eyes and chased those thoughts away as he did, the soft aura around her glimmering, and pulsing with feeling. Her boundaries fell away and she allowed her true self to show, her golden locks darkening to chartreuse green, slowly to a blue hued aegean teal as both of her forms fused together once again. Raditz took a deep breath and squeezed her tight, his chest swelling with his reaction to both of her alter beings here at once, in their truest state, her most vulnerable form that she only allowed Raditz to see. 

"Launch, your smell… by the gods. You smell so delicious. I could devour you…" He purred, holding her close and tasting the honeyed flavors oozing from her mark as Launch opened her multicolored eyes and giggled, the emerald green irises with violet edges sparkling.

"Girl, you drive me insane when you're like this." He said urgently, his reaction to her making her gasp as she felt his hardness pressing up against her backside. 

"Well, I can have you all to myself this way," She teased playfully as she turned her face to eye him better, seeing how Raditz's eyes had changed in the darkness. She turned around and placed both hands on his face as he gazed at her, an unfamiliar silvery quality to his obsidian eyes. 

"What's…" She pondered, and Raditz quickly glanced up at the sky, then back down. 

"It's because of the...moonlight? Can't you feel that?" He said, and Launch turned to see the faint glow of the hidden moon of Neptune that had been drawn closer by the Eclipse, and had been there all along without their knowledge, aiding in their transformation to Saiyå-Zarou. 

"It's the blutz waves from Triton I'm having a reaction to, but it's not quite full yet. Don't worry, Launch." He whispered, and leaned down to place a kiss on her lips. Her teal tail curled around his in the warmth of the water and she sighed, parting her lips for him as his tongue traced along the seam of them. He clutched her to himself tightly and tasted of his mate with their kiss, tangling his hand in her hair and tightening it. Launch's heart quickened from the gentle pull at her scalp, allowing her neck to arch back so that he could trail kisses down it. Raditz kissed her body tenderly, his hands moving to circle around her breasts. He used his thumbs to gently rub, and caress her sensitive areolas. Launch moaned softly, and gripped his back for leverage, licking the side of his muscular neck, tracing a path along the tendon where once she had bit down, tasting his warm, spicy flavor oozing out from his mark as well. 

Her breath escaped her suddenly as Launch found herself pressed to the bank, Raditz trapping her in his arms, opening her legs with his hips. Launch gasped, her kaleidoscope irises wide as she took him in, trails of water making his warm complexion dewy in the glow of the ki lit water, tiny green flames like fox fire at his back causing ethereal lights to light up his angular features, his dark eyes flashing. Their bodies pressed together as he lowered atop her, and pulled her down in the sand so that their hips met. Launch's back rested on the cool sand, her hair a halo around her as she turned her cheek and sighed, appreciating the feeling of his heat around, and against her. 

"Look at me, Launch." Raditz whispered, his warmth suddenly leaving her. She gasped, gazing down to see his face. Raditz slowly smirked, a red tongue wetting his lips at the apex of her open thighs. "You're making a delightful scent for me. I can't wait to taste it." He purred, and she blushed as he looked down, and moved his mouth to sample that taste, giving her nether lips a gentle kiss, sliding his tongue along her cleft, before delicately spreading her with his hands, and feasting on his mate's sweetness. Launch whimpered, feeling shudders go through her body with every flick of his tongue along her center, like sparks gently igniting a fire, until it was a licking flame. Her stress unwound, her body going slack against the ground as Raditz speared his tongue inside of her warmth, curling it inside of her as his fingers rubbed gentle circles on her slickened clit. 

_ "Raditz," _She moaned softly, feeling her core begin to tremble, her legs shaking just as he growled into her flesh, his mouth filled with her taste, which changed as she grew closer to climax, making his mouth salivate and grow wetter until he was diving in with gusto, stimulating the interior flesh of her with two fingers, pumping in and out faster as he sucked and licked her sensitive clit. Launch gripped his hair by the roots and cried out, grinding his face to her as she came into his mouth. Raditz drank her orgasm eagerly, swallowing it eagerly as his reward. 

He moved himself back up to her, by slowly licking, and kissing her body. Launch panted, stroking her hands through his hair and gripping it as he did. Once he reached her breasts, she felt the blunt tip of his erection just barely touching her entrance, and moved her hips to feel his smooth head trace along her wetness, teasing her entrance. 

"Naughty girl," Raditz purred into her breast, palming the other one enthusiastically as she whimpered, and rubbed herself with his stiffened organ, loving the feel of his girth spreading her lips and teasing to slide inside. Raditz groaned softly, and moved forward, wedging his length along her slit as he moved to kiss her once again, sharing the flavors she'd rewarded him with on her lips. He pulled back, and she licked the tartness from her lips, her tiny canines glistening as she bit her bottom lip. Raditz growled, his tail bristling at the erotic display of her saiyan fangs, grown by the blutz waves. 

"Bite me," He demanded, pulling her lower lips down with his thumb to better see the fang teeth of his saiyan woman. Launch giggled, and sucked his thumb into her mouth, caressing the flesh with her lips as she gazed up at him, then grazed her teeth along it for him. Raditz groaned, feeling teased, he moved away from her, kneeling on the sand, and handling himself eagerly, stroking his hand along his own hardened length as he gazed down at her relaxed body spread out before him. Launch enjoyed the sight of Raditz stimulating himself for a moment, before crawling across the sand to drag her hands along his abdomen, the slick flesh wet with his perspiration, hard beneath her touch. 

She brought her face close as he held himself before her lips, grunting low in his throat as he silently begged for entrance through her lips. Launch kissed his weeping tip, where a bead of salinious fluid had gathered, and licked him clean as he stimulated himself with his palm, she circled the darkened flesh swollen with his engorged state with tongue until it was slickened enough to slide between her lips easily, his girth stretching her mouth wide as Launch took his length into her mouth. Raditz grit his teeth and moaned through them, moving his hand on top of her head to direct her movements, his ears burning with the vulgar sounds she made as she took him deep in her throat, then back out, working the rest of his length with her hand, as the other rested on his backside and squeezed, pushing his hips towards her face. 

"Launch, I..I'm going to…" Raditz muttered, biting his bottom lip as she laughed against him, the reverberation of her voice going through him as her movements became more deliberate, his hand gripping her hair tight as her face crushed against his strong abdomen, and he felt her lips around his base. Raditz's climax surged down her throat and he moaned huskily, gripping her head tightly against his groin as his hips quivered with each gush of fluid escaping from him. Launch drew back, and gazed up at him as she still drew on his length with her lips, pulling the flavor from him until she only tasted his skin. Raditz never lost his aroused reaction, in fact he grew harder watching her swallow his essence, and bob her head along his length like an obedient woman. 

He gently moved back so that she could breathe, her face flushed as Raditz panted as well. "Bad Launch," He rumbled in approval, earning her playful grin back.

"You started it." Launch said, smoothing out her hair after he'd messed it up. 

"And I'm not done with you, either." Raditz smirked, sitting down against a tree at the water's edge. 

"Well, come get me then," She pouted, feeling neglected as he sat, and played with himself while watching her. Raditz shook his head, disobeying, instead stimulating himself, and enjoying watching her growing angered almost immediately in reaction to his teasing.

Launch stood, and walked to him with her hands on her hips, breasts bouncing as she stormed over to him and frowned. Raditz almost giggled, biting his lip, enjoying the show she was giving him. He leaned back forward farther so that she could better see how badly he wanted her, and Launch's eyes darkened with lust at seeing her masculine saiyan man in total submission to her. 

"Launch, come get on top of me," He begged, placing one arm behind his head as the other hand aimed his cock down so that could sit on him. Launch shivered, the hairs on her tail all standing on end as moisture gathered between her legs, her womb feeling full, heavy with her desire. 

She obliged him, coming down to kneel over him, letting him aim his member towards her so that she may slide down onto his hardened thickness. Launch cried out as she felt him filling her at last, Raditz taking her by the hips firmly as she gripped his shoulders, moving just so that their groins ground together in the most pleasurable way, her hips rolling along his, as he made deep thrusts up inside of her, both making aroused grunts and pants. Launch moved to kiss him, their tails entangled as both were fused deep from within, bodies moving as one, his intruding length plunging deep into her depths as Launch enjoyed his full length to the very base, her center filled with bliss. 

"That's it, Launch. Let me feel you unwind around me," Raditz purred, pressing her down so that they ground down to their pelts, sopping with her wetness all around him. _ "Ah, ah, Raditz!" _She cried out, and covered his abdomen with her orgasm, flashes of pleasure reaching out to her extremities as she beared down on him and shuddered with climax. He smiled, and let his woman rest against him as he made shallow movements, caressing her bottom as she panted, her body recovering. 

Raditz took her by the chin, and kissed her tenderly, feeling her tiny fangs with his tongue. Launch whimpered, and began to move against him once again, but Raditz stopped her, rolling so that he was atop her now, never leaving her body as he did. Launch rested her head comfortably on the sand and smiled blissfully up at him as Raditz sheathed himself, then pulled out languidly, her moisture pooling out onto the ground as he did. She mewled in question at the loss, then gasped as he took one leg in his hand, and angled it up to rest over his shoulder as he dove back into her. Raditz did not hesitate to work himself back up to the limit, grunting with each aggressive thrust, reaffirming his dominance now as he made her whimper in submission with each slap of his coming climax, welling inside of him as the weight of his scrotum landed against her bottom. Raditz took her other ankle in his hand, and pushed that one back as well until her knees were on the ground, her body folded in so that he may thrust down into her open legs, with no obstructions. 

He took a deep breath, and angled himself down on his haunches, holding her still as he mated with his woman in a beastial way, giving her no control over how deeply his thrusts fell upon her sensitive flesh, as he held her down and unleashed his most primal passions upon her body, until Launch was mumbling her orgasm once again incoherently, her body weak from his persistent cock wedging deeper up until his reserves broke, and Raditz made a roar of his release as he flooded her insides until semen was leaking down onto the ground, his eyes turning fully white as he achieved climax, returning to their dark obsidian as he finished. 

Launch let her legs down at last as he shuddered and recovered from the mind numbing experience, panting into her chest where he rested his head. Their tails were coiled together so tightly that they looked as one, brown and teal swirling together in harmony. She stroked his mane, which was now nearly dry from his heated body. Launch placed a kiss on his head, and scratched him on his widows peak how he liked, his tail loosening from hers, and making lazy loops through the air as he regained his senses. Raditz picked them up now, and grinned, walking into the water to cleanse their bodies. 

"I love you." He said softly, and watched as her smile grew, and her hair slowly deepened back to royal blue. "I love you too, Raditz." Launch smiled shyly, and clasped his large hand as they walked into the water, and she rested up against him as he held her close to him. "Oh no...I hope the baby is asleep. Do you think he heard me?" Launch whispered with worry, stroking her still flat stomach, that had just a slight curve to it. 

"I'm sure he's just fine." Raditz reassured, placing his hand there as well. There was little motion inside, if anything the only thing he could sense was the dim ki of the child, as long as it wasn't spiking, he was certain that it was sleeping. The fetus was so tiny still that Raditz couldn't quite say if it was even that aware of its surroundings yet, but he didn't want to disclose that. 

"He's asleep." He confirmed to comfort her worries, and Launch sighed heavily, thankful that the rocking motions of their lovemaking didn't disturb the tiny saiyan fetus inside. 

"Oh, thank goodness." She giggled, and hugged him close to her body. Raditz smiled, and used his tail to swish between them, stroking the inside of her thighs lovingly to clean her as he kissed her head.

Launch closed her eyes and gradually travelled to the unexplored part of her consciousness that she had traversed once before; searching the water for the tormented warrior. "Mother?" A voice came across, as if from far, far away, she heard an echo from the depths of eternal hell. 

_ Yes, I'm here, and so is Raditz. _ Launch responded, and the shadow hesitated to come up from the depths, looking around himself cautiously. 

_ Is that him? _Saavoy asked carefully, and Launch nodded. There was a swift motion, and she was shaken awake, the darkness flashing before her eyes before disappearing. Raditz clutched her tightly by her shoulders then, harried with worry. One moment he was grooming his mate, the next, her entire body was shaking and she was mumbling to herself. 

"Launch?! Are you ok? What was that?" He asked sharply, his tail slapping the water angrily. Launch shook her head, unable to answer his questions. 

"I'm fine, don't worry darling. Just tired." She answered, her eyelids feeling incredibly heavy. "Can we go home now?" She asked, and yawned, her teeth clicking. 

"Of course, as long as you're ok. I thought I sensed a strong ki for a moment." He growled, looking around himself suspiciously. 

"I felt it, there was something _ else _ here." He snarled, shudders going through him from the cold chill that had come across the water, making the once warm water lit with ki orbs now dark, and insufferably icy.

"I didn't feel anything," She lied, looking away from him. Raditz shook his head, and flew up and out of it, warming her immediately with his ki at the worry of endangering their baby.

"It's nothing to worry about, sweetie." Launch said, nibbling on her fingernails and glancing back down at the water. 

"It was much too cold for you, Launch. You must be more cautious if you're to be a good mother." Raditz snapped impatiently, not noticing how she waved goodbye as they flew off. 

When Launch at last opened her eyes, she gasped upon seeing what was before her. All around she saw blue ocean waves, surrounding a small island with a familiar pink house on it. She smiled and hugged around Raditz tightly, her approval obvious by her wagging blue tail. 

"Oh, Raditz! I missed it here, how did you know?!" She chirped happily, him raising one brow. 

"You asked to go home, and _ this _ is our home. Not there in that… sterile dome amongst the pollution and **noise** of the metropolis." He said with a small sneer, as if he disliked staying at Capsule Corporations.

"Yes, but.. I don't _ mind _ being there. They are very nice to us. But, I suppose there's nothing like being _ home, sweet home!" _ Launch sighed, resting her head on his chest as a grin grew on Raditz's face and he landed, a large cloud of sand billowing up as he did. 

"Besides, I have an agreement with the doctor there that I should honor." Raditz said, and Launch tilted her head curiously as he let her down, and walked down the shore. She ran after, feeling more energized after taking a nap during the fly over. 

"What agreement? With Dr. Briefs? Oh!" Launch caught up, recalling how Dr. Briefs had made them all their fancy new gadgets and armour with Raditz's help, and understanding that he must have had some type of compensation he owed the man. 

Raditz grumbled, then clicked a nearly invisible button on his bracer, opening it up to reveal a small remote, as Launch gazed on in fascination. He clicked a button on it, and waited, then looked towards the water as bubbles began to surface, and Launch's eyes widened. Water rose off of a large plate-like surface, followed by two bulbous eyes on stalks. She screamed as the creature rose from the water, its wet mandibles clicking as it took in her and Raditz hungrily. Raditz flinched from her squeals, but stood his ground, grinning as the large crustacean breached the water at last. 

"Wh-what is that? Why did it come when you clicked the button, Raditz?" Launch squeaked anxiously from behind him, and Raditz snorted. "Just an overgrown shellback, it must have eaten the ship. No worry, Launch, even a puny girl like _ you _ can handle this beast." He sneered with a crack of his knuckles, just as the massive Dungeness Crab finally crawled out of the water, and onto the shore, clicking it's massive pincers. 

"What's **that** supposed to mean?" Launch accused, though the creature was giving her the creeps, she didn't like him insinuating that she was weak and defenseless.

"Just that--'' He began, firing a ki blast, but the crab dodged with a side-scuttle, and snapped at Raditz, making him have to dodge back. "You haven't reached your–" Raditz attempted to continue as Launch pouted, stepping back from the fight to sit on a rock. 

"Her full potential, isn't that right?" A familiar voice came from behind, and Launch turned to see who it was. Master Roshi came forward, along with Yamcha, Puar and Oolong. "Yes." Raditz clipped, and anticipated the next move of the crab, as it slashed at him with it's gargantuan claw. He grabbed it by the claw, and tossed it over onto its back, the claw coming loose as he did. Raditz tossed the claw off to the side, and kicked the crab back onto its feet; not done fighting yet. 

The others watched, Yamcha clenching his fists as he watched Raditz fight skillfully with a slackened jaw. He was amazed by his speed, and also envious of the saiyan's gorgeous long hair. 

"What do you mean, Master?" Launch asked, and the old hermit chuckled.

"Well, from the moment you arrived on my island, I always had a hunch that there was something _ unique _ about'cha, Launch. I tried to get you to train, but that didn't go over very well... if you remember correctly." Roshi blushed, recalling how they all wore skimpy women's undergarments to try and convince Launch that they were Martial arts uniforms. 

"**Hmm**." Launch mused, crossing her arms. 

"Is _ that _ what the purpose of the lingerie was?" She questioned with raising suspicions, noticing how his anxiety increased. 

"We-Well, _ no, _ but! I always encouraged you to stay in shape with our aerobics classes. You ** do** have a hidden potential, Launch. Now that we know you're part saiyan, I don't doubt it." Master Roshi nodded, now certain. 

Launch mulled over this, twirling a curly blue lock of hair around her finger as she turned to see Raditz finishing off the giant crab with a swift kick to it's underbelly, making it spit up a giant, white ball. 

"Eww, gross!" Puar squeaked, "Oh, clam it, tuna breath!" Oolong commented, laughing as the crab spat water in Raditz's face. Yamcha suddenly flew over to defend Raditz as he was blasted by salt water, the others gasping as he approached the crab fearlessly, and jabbed it in the gullet, cutting off its spit stream. It backed away a few feet, making choked sounds as Yamcha offered a hand to Raditz, who was still recovering from the blast, coughing up water. 

Raditz took his hand for just a moment, righting himself, and glared at the strange human man for a split second before being startled by the sudden change in the air, as Yamcha formed his hands into claws, then a blue aura rose from behind him, and he surged forward with a combination attack, shouting "_Wolf-Fang-Fist!_" The crab was quieted by a hard blow to the head, then another that smashed in its face. It fell to the ground, seemingly vanquished. Raditz balled up his fists and growled, watching how the man brushed off his hands, and turned away. He didn't move to save him as an errant claw reached for him, making him scream. Instead, a motion like a blue bullet whipped past them. Yamcha was transported back to Master Roshi's side in an instant, the claw still clinging to his waist now twitching, then Raditz was blown back by the gale of wind once again as there was a bright light, and a blast of blazing green energy that surrounded the crab, and made it squeal in agony as its shell began to cook, and turn red, finally dead. Launch stood with both arms out, her hands together in a mock pistol, her finger now literally smoking. She was the owner of the smoking gun, the one who had saved them. 

Raditz rubbed his eyes, attempting to regain his sight after being blinded, his nose taking in the sweet scent of crab meat as he did. 

"There. No more trouble out of you, mister crabby." Launch huffed, and put her hands on her hips as the dust settled, and everyone came forth to see if what they had witnessed was truly real. Yamcha removed the pincer from around his waist, looking at it, then Launch. 

"Launch… you.. _ saved _ me. I saw you!" He gasped, as well as some of the others, besides Raditz. "Little Launch? _ How…?" _ He questioned, just as befuddled as the other men. Launch blew off her finger, then sucked it where it was red for a moment, recovering from using such a large ki blast for the first time. 

"Well, I…uh," She muttered, turning around and tracing circles in the sand with her red sneaker. 

"Yamcha could have gotten hurt, and you were going to do nothing to save him, Raditz!" She shouted, forming her fists into balls, her tail puffing up as she accused him.

"B-But, I-I don't _know_ _him!" _Raditz snapped, his hands out to his sides in a clear display of confusion. 

"It doesn't matter if you don't _ know _ him, Raditz! Yamcha is my friend! I wouldn't let him be turned into _ fish food!" _ Launch huffed, crossing her arms. 

"Th-Thanks, Launch. I had no idea you were capable of that kind of strength. It's really amazing." Yamcha blushed, feeling sheepish that he was saved by _ her _, of all people, but he was thankful, regardless. 

"Nice aim!" Oolong commended her, looking impressed. 

"One minute, she was standing next to us, next thing I knew, she launched right off the ground! She was bing-bing-banging around like a ping-pong ball! Wowie-Zowie!" Master Roshi said with exaggerated enthusiasm, his mouth wide open in a grin that was for once, not perverted. 

"I see… so, you have Propel, Kannon, Implode, Grenada, Launch… Your name, it's literal to your skill." Raditz said, now connecting the dots. "Yes. That's one of my inherent abilities, I suppose… I just, I flew into a panic. I'm sorry everyone." Launch said meekly, and they all surrounded her, patting her on the shoulders and back supportively. 

"Don't be sorry! That was incredible!" Puar said, and hugged around her neck. Launch petted the little blue cat, and a smile formed on her lips. 

"I suppose this _ is _ a good thing. Not to mention, there's enough crab here to feed everyone!" Launch said cheerfully, glancing to Raditz, and hoping he would stay for dinner with the humans. 

"Raditz, let me introduce you to my friends, Oolong, Puar, and Yamcha. You know Master Roshi, but you aren't familiar with everyone. I want everyone to know too, that Raditz is my mate–I mean, boyfriend, and the father of my child. He wouldn't hurt anyone now." She announced, and giggled as he glanced away and blushed. 

"That's not true! I was ready to rip that girly-haired one a new one for interrupting my fight!" He snarled towards Yamcha, who looked offended. 

" 'Girly-haired?!' Your hair is longer than mine! Besides, you got blasted in the face! I was just helping out, that's what you do in a fight!" Yamcha argued, and the two glared into each other's dark eyes for a long moment, huffing angrily. 

"You'd be wise to stay out of a Saiyan's blast path, from now on. You can't rely on my girl to save you next time." Raditz threatened lowly, and Launch pushed the two of them apart, gripping the both by their shirts. 

"Enough! Your dinner will get cold if you two can't make up! Raditz, help me cut up the crab! Yamcha, would you go pick that pod up before it rolls away?" She demanded, and both men nodded, taking off once she released them. Yamcha ran over to see what the pod was that she had mentioned, seeing a large spherical ball laying in the sand. He'd been absent for Raditz's arrival on the beach, so he had no idea what it could be. He kicked it slightly, and it rolled over to reveal the window on the front, covered in seaweed. 

"Let me handle it." Raditz growled, shoving past him to retrieve the little remote again. 

He squatted down and opened up the ship, then quickly typed the coordinates to Capsule Corporations into the navigator. Once it chirped, the spot lighting on the map of earth, Raditz closed it, and slapped the ship before it lifted into the sky, and zipped off in a beam of white towards West City. 

"That takes care of that, now to attend to my dinner." He said, still not too keen on sharing it with everyone. 

"_ Our _ dinner," Launch corrected, and the others giggled as Raditz sighed heavily, and went over to prepare the crab for them all. 

"And then, just as I was _ thiiiiis _ close to seeing up Launch's skirt, the table legs gave way, and it collapsed on top of me!" Master Roshi regaled them all with the tale from many years ago, brought on by his realization of just how strong Launch was. He recalled how she was able to lift a giant bucket of rice, and Raditz snorted at that, telling them all about how she had helped him into the house when he was injured, and had no problem lifting his armour, either–something a weak human girl could never do. 

Launch popped another large forkful of crab and rice in her cheeks, her blue tail wagging angrily behind her through the chair spokes. She was attempting to keep her anger in check as they all laughed at Master Roshi's perverted antics of the past, _ even _ Raditz! Launch reached with her tail, and swatted his tail as a warning lash, making him stop laughing. He coughed into his hand to cover it up, then looked seriously at the old man. 

"Ah, while that all is amusing and it's interesting to hear about her past, my Launch **is** the mother of my unborn child. There shall be no more of these skimpy outfits, pinching of her bottom, peeking up her skirt, or down her shirt. If I catch you peeping, I **won't** go easy on you….That means girly hair, and you as well, pig." He looked pointedly at Oolong and Yamcha, and they both nodded quickly. 

"Oh, well… I suppose we sure had fun while it lasted! I guess I better find myself a new _ pichie-pichie _ gal!" Master Roshi sighed, and then all in the room shivered from the death stare Raditz gave him at the mention of 'pichie-pichie'. He didn't know it could be translated to mean a young, lively girl, as energetic as a fish out of water. Master Roshi intended the term to mean a pretty girl, one that could clean his house, with a butt perfect for pinching. 

"No, no, not our mom, Pinchie, Raditz! He doesn't mean _ her!" _Launch said urgently, shaking him by the shoulder as he breathed heavily, snorting hard like a bull honing in on its prey. 

"Yeah, any gal would do! Preferably, one that would _ actually _ pleasure me!" The old idiot said, then yelped as Raditz went flying over the table and the two rolled off in a ball of flying legs and arms, the old man squirming as Raditz tried to get a hold of him. He finally did, holding him down to the floor by his shoulders.

"Oh, let him go, Raditz! He didn't mean it!" Launch worried, pulling him by the tail. 

"Take it back, you old letcher. Say you'll never touch Pinchie! Or else you'll never pinch another bottom again, I'll make ** _sure_ ** of that!" Raditz hissed, and Roshi quickly agreed. "I-I promise, I'll never touch this Pinchie gal!" He yelped, and Raditz grinned.

"Good. Not as if Nappa would let you live, anyways." He said, and let him go, brushing off his hands as he returned to the table, and began gathering up the empty plates for Launch. She helped her old Master up apologetically, dusting off his back, then joined Raditz by the sink to begin cleaning the tower of dishes that had collected since she had left in a hurry for Capsule Corporations. 

"Oh, darn… what a mess." Launch groaned, and Raditz waved her off. 

"I'll take care of these dishes in no time. Why don't you just go relax?" He said, and kissed her on the head. Launch took his offer gratefully, and hugged him, before heading towards the sofa, yawning. 

"Thanks for dinner, Launch...sorry about the dishes." Master Roshi apologized, and she turned and gave him a hug too. "It's alright. I'm just glad to be home." She said, and he looked down at the floor, fidgeting with one side of his white mustache. "I just hope your room isn't too bad of a mess. I haven't gotten up there to check, these old knees don't work as good as they use'ta." He said, and she thought back to the last time they'd been home, a shudder going through her as she looked over her shoulder at the attic door at the top of the stairs.

"I-I'm sure it's not that bad. Let's go see what's on T.V, Master Roshi." Launch deflected with a cheerful tone, and Raditz glanced over his shoulder at her, then began washing dishes as quickly as he could. He had a feeling she didn't want to go up into the room, and he knew why.

Launch reclined on the couch, flipping channels as the house grew quiet, Oolong and Puar having fallen asleep on the couch beside her. A news report came on while she shook out a blanket, and covered the two of them with it, tucking it in around their feet to keep them warm as she listened. 

"September skies are clear today, and we can all rejoice now, as earth returns to normal. Scientists around the globe have come to the conclusion that these atmospheric anomalies we all experienced were due to a change in Earth's gravity, which drew in the planets, and in turn caused the tides to rise. Errant Tsunamis around the globe have finally stopped, just before causing any severe damage." The woman said, pointing to a screen where computer graphics attempted to explain in logical terms what had happened to the planet. This caused Launch to turn, her hand to her mouth in worry. She hoped no-one had been hurt thanks to the Geminis. She sat back down, watching with a worried gaze. The camera moved to the reporter at his desk, agreeing with her. 

"My condolences go out to anyone who was affected by the Eclipse. Here's one thing you _ can _ celebrate, after the electrical costs were skyrocketing before, they've now dropped exponentially. Daily life can now return to normal once again as we can enjoy the sunlight, though these changes come with new challenges." 

"Everyone seems to be feeling the heaviness in the air, Marie. After the rain of Neptune's destruction, which experts seem to think was from an internal eruption of trapped gas beneath the surface, it was revealed by satellite radar today that the moon of Mars, named Triton, as well as Mars, remain visible in our atmosphere." Launch's eyes widened, recalling what Raditz had said about the moon's presence. It seemed he had been right, as the screen showed a crescent moon up high in the sky of twinkling stars. 

"Yes, Tom, we all can admire the sight of Triton in our solar system, and rejoice that Earth now has a moon again, at last! This is no cause for worry, scientists say, in fact, our chances for inhabiting Mars in the future has gone up exponentially! Mars is undergoing drastic changes to its surface…." Launch turned off the television, and shook her head, glancing at the pillow beside her and straightening it under Puar's head. She was glad that all the crazy things she'd experienced could be explained by science, the jargon of which began to make her sleepy again. At the very least, the citizens of Earth were unaware of what really had happened, or at least, the government paid these scientists well enough to provide an explanation to cover up the existence of aliens. 

She couldn't help but recall sometimes sharing the couch with Tien on nights like this, either quietly watching television together, or playing video games. She wondered how he was doing, wherever he was, and giggled at the memory of him brought on by fixing the pillow. Tien had been

covering up his tented groin with a popcorn bowl after he and Blonde Launch got into a heated wrestling match one night. Something that, now that she thought about it, she realized that the signs of his attraction were there all along. She shook her head and sighed, feeling silly. _ Blonde me was just too much for poor Tien...We should have stayed just friends. _An icy feeling came over her once again as the autumn wind blew outside, and rattled the windows. She got up and glanced out the blinds, seeing rain coming down, tearing bits of palm fronds off with the strength of the gusts. Launch turned the lock on the window, then made sure the door was deadbolted. 

Raditz came into the room, yawning loudly as he stretched his arms out, and his tail curled behind him, teeth clicking. He scratched at some stubble growing on his cheek, then came close to place his hands on her shivering shoulders. Launch knew it was him since the moment his spiced cinnamon rum scent tickled her nose, then had it confirmed by the grunts and exaggerated yawning noise he made as he made his way over, most likely hinting to her it was time for bed. 

"Where have you been?" She asked, enjoying his warmth. 

"Oh, I showered to get that fishy smell off. Then.. your friend, Yamcha assisted me with the laundry, and showed me how to work a vacuum. The bedroom is ready now." He said, clearing his throat. Launch gasped, turning around to kiss him. "You and he got along?" She beamed, feeling glad. Raditz could use a friend after Piccolo's assumed death.

"… Well enough. He noticed my frustration with earth machines, and instructed me on how to start them. Don't go thinking I'm allies with that...that _ curly haired cat lover _." Raditz spat, but Launch wasn't at all bothered by his curses. She knew that though it may take him time to warm up to everyone, Raditz would truly come to enjoy having a group of male peers that didn't insult him, or boss him around. 

"He wanted _ hair _ 'tips'. Can you believe that? He wished to know how I keep my hair so long and straight. Tch." Raditz grumbled as they went upstairs, Launch giggling. 

"What did you tell him?" 

"I told him, his hair could _ never _ look as good as a Saiyan's mane! But…that he could also treat it with some hot oil and let it air dry." Raditz muttered, making her giggle again. 

"That was very generous of you, Raditz." She said, and squeezed his large bicep lovingly as they entered the room. 

She took a sharp intake of breath, and her chest swelled with joy as she walked into the bedroom, just as it always was. Her fears of seeing the blood from her accident on the bed were all abated. Launch looked, and saw the large crochet square blanket she had made for long, lonely winters resting clean and neatly on the bed, two pillows there for her and Raditz. Not a single thing was left errant in the room, besides his bracers, and boots that sat on the floor by the bed. As always, they were next to a pair of white bunny ear slippers. Launch's eyes swelled with tears for some reason she couldn't understand, and she turned and buried her face against his chest and hugged him, hiding her sobs of joy. Raditz stroked her hair, and smiled. He was glad she was happy because of this small gesture, and relieved that she never had to see the bloodstained carpet, or the bloody sheets he'd disposed of. 

"Thank you, Raditz… thank you." She sobbed, and he moved back to gaze down at her face, wiping her tears away with his warm thumbs. "I should be the one thanking you…For all you did for me then. I was such a cold-hearted man then, but you took me in, and you were not afraid to sleep with a slayer in your bed. I truly have no way to thank you for all this, besides, well… with my undying gratitude. I hope it will be enough for now." He said, and his ears reddened as he glanced away bashfully. He'd talked about some other things with Yamcha, mainly ways he could thank her, in a _ human _ way. The human man knew of lots of gifts, and gestures that made earth women happy, and was more than willing to share his knowledge with him. Raditz would have to wait to share them with her until he found the means, but for now he was relieved that this was enough. 

"Yes, that's more than enough, Raditz. You're all I want, just you." She said softly, and moved up to reach for him on her tippy toes, him leaning down to kiss her, wrapping his hands around her waist, their tails intertwining as soft moonlight fell through the window and onto the couple who began their journey here, and would always find the quaint little room the most romantic venue. 


End file.
